COLLECTING BRITISH CLEAR- WINGED LEPIDOPTERA. 97 



long after emergence, or the}^ will become sadly injured by a wild 

 flight so long as the sun rests on their prison. 



In a state of nature the clear-wings emerge early in the 

 morning. No sooner have the night dews disappeared and " the 

 world become aired," on a bright sunny day in May or June, than 

 out come these gems of nature and rapidly dry their wings. 

 This drying process is, in some species, executed with surprising 

 haste ; indeed little more than a shake or two, if there be a slight 

 breeze in the air, seems sufficient to unfurl wings that are ready 

 for flight. So the collector of Sesiidse, if he would get fine fresh 

 specimens, must be up and about in the early morning ; when he 

 will get — if no clear-wings — health and enjoyment of Nature in 

 her freshest mood. 



There is still much to be learned from the study of the life- 

 history of the Sesiid£e ; for example, how many lepidopterologists 

 are there who know that, like some of the large Bombyces, the 

 virgin females have the happy power of causing the assembling of 

 numbers of males, which easily become prey to the dexterous 

 lepidopterist ? I am so informed by my friend Mr. Tugwell, who 

 has by this means obtained males of at least one of the genus 

 Sesia ,- therefore we may expect females of other species of the 

 family to possess the same attractive faculty. This means of 

 working for clear-wings is well worth trial, and the results will 

 be interesting when recorded. 



As two moths of the genus Macroglossa, in this country, have 

 clear wings as well as the Sesiidse, it is only fair to mention 

 them, and, as in the arrangement of our Lepidoptera they come 

 first, we will take them before those which possess larvge so 

 different in character. Both these moths occur in May, — 

 M. fuciformis being chiefly southern in its distribution, while 

 M. homhyliformis is more northern and western. They appear 

 to cross each other in places, for in some localities both occur, 

 though one or other more frequently than the other as we go 

 farther north or south. 



Macroglossa fuciformis is by no means uncommon in some 

 open woods in Kent, Sussex and Surrey. The moths are par- 

 ticularly fond of hovering over patches of common bugle 

 {Ajnga reptans), darting their flexible tongues into the purple 

 flowers. They are not easy to take, for the flight is rapid and 

 the moths very timid. Another attraction are the great trusses of 



ENTOM. — APRIL, 1887. O 



