ENTOMOLOGY OF ICELAND. 159 



flies, if there bo any), \yould be the manured home-fielJs (grass plots 

 round the homesteads) at the time when the grass is ripe for mowing, viz., 

 early in July, at which time the not inconsiderable number of flowers that 

 take advantage of the shelter of the grass are also at their best. I don't 

 think I am wrong in saying that in a cold season, which in Iceland means 

 an ' ice-summer,' — if there is no ' ice,' the season is delightfully genial, — 

 search for butteiflies and moths should be made as far up inland valleys as 

 the altitude of the teriaiti makes advisable, or midway between sea-draught 

 and glacier-draught. In a warm season I suppose it matters little where 

 the search is made on the lowlands of the island." — (Extract from the 

 letter of another correspondent, who is a native of Iceland, April, 1889). 



Apropos of Staudinger's list, I may add that he considers 

 that the total sum of the species of insects found in Iceland is 

 about 312 kinds, and that over one-third of these (110) consists 

 of Diptera ; almost one-fourth (81) of Coleoptera ; one-fifth (Gl) 

 of Hymenoptera ; one-tenth (83) of Lepidoptera, and the other 

 tenth of the remaining orders, to wit, 9 Homoptera, 8 Hemip- 

 tera, 6 Parasites, 3 — 6 Poduridse, 29 highest total. Orthoptera 

 are wanting. 



That there are 500 species found there he decidedly does not 

 believe. Most of the species of Coleoptera he found under 

 stones, in turf, all the Staphylinidse in dung, or under dead birds. 



Grubs of some of the Diptera, namely Tipulidse, and of a few 

 Ichneumons, found on a great variety of flowers. 



"Are you aware that in certain seasons in June, certain localities in 

 Iceland are visited by the so-called ' gras-madkr,' or caterpillar plague ? 

 Unfortunately, I cannot say with any certainty what the particular atmos- 

 pheric conditions are, much less what the nature of the caterpillar, 

 or caterpillars is. This is not confined to any particular locality, but seems 

 to be the result of the temperature, I rather fancy that the summer's 

 product of winged insects in these localities afterwards is generally very scant. 

 J3y the last accounts from Iceland, it seemed probable that the present 

 summer might be a particularly good one, no ice having arrived on the 

 coast at the end of March. But if the ice makes its appearance in April, 

 a deadly summer follows." — (Additional extract from the letter of a native 

 of Iceland, April, 1889). 



I may add, in conclusion, that the gentleman from whose 

 letter I have thus twice quoted informed me that he thought he 

 had seen a pale yellow butterfly in his boyhood in Iceland ; and 

 also that bis wife, in inspecting one of my cabinets, was under 

 the impression that she recognised GonciAeryx rhamni and Colias 

 liycde again. 

 Dun Mallard, Cricklewoocl, May 1st. 



