176 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



had now definitely left the dull cloudy weather behind, and enjoyed a 

 clear blue sky and hot sun, relieved by a fresh breeze from the sea ; 

 the evenings were cool, if not quite cold. The neighbourhood of the 

 village is given up to the vine and to vegetables ; beans do well at 

 this altitude, something over 2,000 feet, and the villagers are 

 particularly proud of their cabbages. An occasional palm-tree reminds 

 us that we are in low latitudes, and the fine dragon-tree down the 

 village shows that we have not left the Canaries. 



In the daytime and the dusli, the stridulation of Dectictis albifrons, 

 Fabr., keeps tbe air alive, and at night Lir/ryllHs biinaculatus takes up' 

 the chorus. The former, which I failed to see in the Grand Canary, 

 is abundant everywhere in Tenerife. Its stridulation cannot be 

 distinguished, by memory, at all events, from that of its northern 

 congener D. verrucivorus, L., Epacromia thalassina, Fabr., swarms in 

 the hedgerows, and E. strepens, Platucleis grisea and PI. tessellata are 

 abundant, as also is Pachyti/liis daniciis. Anisolabis annnlipes is fairly 

 common under stones, and Oecantlius pelliicem, Scop., is fairly 

 numerous. Phaneroptera nana, Charp., is common in the herbage in 

 the little " barrancos " or ravines. 



A mile or two belovv the village, there is a row of low rounded hills; 

 these are " fionarole," and some have the little crater well preserved on 

 their summit. On one of these I found ]\Lanti>i relii/inm, common, 

 Epacromia tlialassina and E. strepenn in swarms, Aerati/lns pdtrtidis, 

 Sturm., common, Caloptenas vulcanins, common, Pachi/tijliis dayiiciis,. 

 common, Phaneroptera nana, Charp., Plati/cleis grisea, Fabr., and 

 Decticus albifrons, Fabr., numerous, and Oecanthns pelliicens, Scop., 

 common. I looked in vain for earwigs, but found Hololawpra birittata^ 

 BruUe, in numbers among the pine-needles; young larvae and nymphs 

 were in a great majority, adult females rare, and adult males almost 

 unfindable. This species is peculiar to the island. 



We moved down to Puerto Orofcava as a base for the excursion up 

 the peak ; as the bluff is rounded on the road down, tbe view of the 

 famous valley is indescribably beautiful ; a long sweeping depression 

 stretches before the traveller, green with vineyard and banana 

 plantations, dotted with white houses, the deep blue sea on one side, a 

 rugged row of red mountains on tbe other, and the mighty cone of the 

 peak beyond, rearing his majestic head far above the clouds. When 

 Humboldt paid his classic visit to Tenerife, and this sight burst 

 upon his gaze, he fell to the ground to salute the finest sight in the 

 world. It may indeed rank with the Bocche di Cattaro, or the bay of 

 Eio de Janeiro. 



Tbe ascent of the peak involves great fatigue, but is abundantly 

 worth any cost or labour. On the coast itself, Acrotylus patrnelis^ 

 Sturm., and Sphingonotm caerulans, L., are abundant ; through the 

 zone of bananas, there is little insect life; near the top of the zone of 

 the vine, from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, the usual species were common, 

 with the addition of a few specimens of StaHronotim niaroccanaa, 

 Thunb., and (Edalens senegalensis, Kr., the latter interesting as being 

 the Ethiopian representative of the common Mediterranean 0. 

 nigrofasciatnn, De Geer. At about 4,000 feet we enter the Monte 

 Verde, where there is no more cultivation, but dense thickets of " breso" 

 a kind of shrubby heath, usually bathed in cloud; as we go higher, the 

 ^' breso" is replaced by a woody stunted shrub, the "codeso," growing 



