10 tTHE ENTOMOLO&IST. 



during a summer holiday extending over portions of the months 

 of June, July, August and September, 1893; but for the purposes 

 of these notes some few species that he had obtained during 

 shorter visits in other years are incorporated. 



The Scilly group consists of some half-dozen larger islands, 

 the largest of tbem being about three and a-half miles across at 

 its extreme points ; about thirty smaller ones, and innumerable 

 rocks and ledges ; and are composed entirely of a coarse type of 

 granite, a continuation of that running through Devon and 

 Cornwall. They are situate 27 miles W.S.W. from the Land's 

 End, and are contained in an area of some 30 square miles 

 of sea-room. The climate is mild and humid, and the range 

 of temperature small, the difference between the mean summer 

 average (58° F.) and that of winter (45° F.) being only 13 

 degrees ; but by reason of their exposed situation, the islands 

 are subject to rapid changes of weather and frequent storms ; 

 and it is probable that only the half-dozen larger ones, of which 

 by-the-bye five only are inhabited, afford sufficient protection to 

 shelter anything bej'ond sea-birds and lichens, both of which, 

 however, abound throughout the group. 



St. Mary's, the island on which the collection now under 

 notice was chietiy made,* is much the largest of tbe group ; it 

 consists of a mainland connected by a sandy isthmus, on which 

 is situated the town, with an almost barren hill known as " The 

 Garrison," the whole comprising just over 1500 acres. The 

 main part of the island consists cliiefly of elevated rocky land, 

 in many parts bare of any vegetation, attaining at the highest 

 point some 158 feet above sea-level, and intersected by two 

 swampy valleys, the larger of them, which contains a good-sized 

 fresh-water pond, crossing the island from east to west, the 

 other running in a southerly direction and meeting it at about 

 its centre. The only trees on the island are some fruit orchards, 

 frequently surrounded by wych-elms, and a few small, rather 

 sickly-looking poplars, recently planted in some of the more 

 sheltered parts. An industry, that has of late assumed very con- 

 siderable proportions, is the raising of early flowers {Narcissus 

 and the like) for market ; these are grown m fields, chiefly sur- 

 rounded by hedges composed of Escalonia macrantha and species 

 of Euonymus and Veronica, while others are divided by stone 

 walls. The uncultivated portions of the higher lands, where 



■'• Occasional visits were paid to several of the other islands, namely, 

 Annet, iSt. Agnes, Sampson, 13r3her and St. Martin's, and many of the 

 smaller islands, all of which are similar in their natm-al features to St. 

 Mary's; also to Tresco, where is the residence of the proprietor of the 

 islands, T. A. Dorrien-Smith, Esq., and his gardens, in winch subtropical 

 and even tropical shrubs and plants, such as palms, aloes, camellias, prickly- 

 pear, and many others, liourish side by side with the common furze ; but iu 

 no case was any species observed that was not met with on St. Mary's, nor 

 did any of those taken exhibit forms varying from those of that island. 



