More Beetles 



lilacs, quenching her thirst from the am- 

 phorae of the flowers. While the proboscis 

 dives down the narrow throat of the blos- 

 som, sucking the nectar at the base, the 

 wings, gently fluttering, are raised above the 

 back, expanding anew and again standing 

 erect. 



Almost as numerous but less sudden in 

 flight, because of his wide-spreading wings, 

 is the Machaon, the magnificent Swallow- 

 tail Butterfly, with the orange spots and the 

 blue crescents. 



The children have come to join me. 

 They are enraptured by this elegant crea- 

 ture, which always escapes their pouncing 

 hands and flies a little farther to taste the 

 nectar of the flowers while moving its wings 

 after the fashion of the Cabbage Butterfly. 

 If the pump is working quietly In the sun- 

 light, if the syrup is rising easily, this gentle 

 fanning of the wings is in all these Butter- 

 flies a sign of satisfaction. 



A catch ! Anna, the youngest of the 

 whole household, gives up all hope of cap- 

 turing the Swallow-tails, who never wait for 

 her nimble little hand to seize them. She 

 has found something more to her liking. It 

 is the Cetonia. The handsome insect has 

 4 



