J^^ January, 



The great stretch of Bush around and beyond the old garden was 

 mostly rugged, hilly country, with vast numbers of the characteristic 

 Eucalyptus trees, and in the little dingles and small valleys were clear 

 running streams, or as the colonists term them, creeks, and bordering 

 thesejwas a dense growth of different species of wattle and many kinds 

 of flowering shrubs, and near an old deserted farmhouse one or two 

 camphor laurels. Around those camphor trees, wiih their rich green 

 foliage and sweet scented blossoms, the brilliant Papilio Sarpedon flew 

 in numbers, their peacock-blue wings flashing in the sunshine. The 

 flight of this butterfly is remarkably swift, and although the camphor 

 blossoms were their great attraction, they were frequently seen rushing 

 across country at a great speed. In the beautiful Botanical Gardens 

 of Sydney P. Sarpedon is in some seasons so abundant as to quite 

 form a feature, and even in the most crowded streets of that charming 

 city I have seen them skimming along over the heads of the people. 

 A great contrast to Sarpedon was Papilio Macleayanus, which used to 

 flit gently about the garden, preferring the more shady places. Its 

 prevailing tint is a pale delicate green, suggestive of moonlight, the 

 tails of the hind-wings are long and slender, and altogether it had a 

 rather fairylike appearance as it flitted across sunshine and shadow. 

 The caterpillar feeds on the orange, but I have found it on the citron 

 and mock orange, and at least once on the camphor laurel. The 

 Australian Emperor {Charaxes Sempronius) is another camphor-tree 

 insect, but it also feeds on some of the wattles. A truly grand 

 creature he is with his bold markings of cream colour and black and 

 with double swallow tails, and particularly noticeable from the won- 

 derful rapidity of flight. I seldom saw them rest for more than a 

 few moments, but they would glide swiftly up and down between the 

 long rows of orange trees, then suddenly rise and flash out of sight 

 over the tops of the forest trees. 



Another butterfly that occasionally frequented that part of the 

 garden where the flower beds lay was lalmenus Evagoras, a lovely blue 

 with highly developed tails on hind-wings. On sunny mornings it 

 looked very charming among the sweet williams and xenias, but was 

 alert and difficult to capture ; however, about 5 p.m. it had a habit of 

 settling on the warm sun-dried earth, and was then more easily taken. 

 I was told a curious fact regarding the larvaD of this species, that they 

 are frequently attended by ants for the sake of a sweetish substance 

 which they emit. 



As might be expected such a peaceful haunt for butterflies was 

 largely patronized by Danais Plexippus, which seems to have a fine 



