98 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



handsome flowers of the rhododendrons, now so commonly 

 planted in some woodlands as a winter cover for game, which 

 find shelter under the evergreen leaves. It is a beautiful sight to 

 see a couple of these active insects hovering around a bunch of 

 the pink flowers on a bright May morning. 



The larvae of this and the next species are Sphinx-like, 

 having a little "tail-" or "horn-like" process on the anal seg- 

 ment. The food plant, honeysuckle, occurs almost everywhere, 

 but the trailing sprays in sunny woodlands are the favourite 

 feeding-places. About the middle of July and on into August, 

 gently turn the sprays over and examine the under side of the 

 leaves, and if present the larvse will soon be detected. Newman, 

 in ' British Moths,' mentions several other plants as food, such as 

 Knautia arvensis, Galium verum, Lychnis, &c. I cannot confirm 

 any of these as natural foods of this species — honeysuckle being 

 the shrub generally affected in this country ; and they appear to 

 feed readily on any cultivated variety of Lonicera. The colour 

 is lively green, with dark yellow subdorsal line. The horn is 

 brownish at the tip. 



Macroglossa honihyliformis occurs in open meadows near 

 woods, heathy tracts by the sides of woods, and very open glades 

 by woodlands. It used to appear in our text-books as the 

 commoner of the two species; this was either a mistake or times 

 and conditions have changed with this moth, for it is not so now. 

 On one occasion only did I ever see this moth in anything like 

 numbers, and that was under special circumstances. While 

 driving from Roundwood to the Seven Churches, by Glendalough, 

 County Wicklow, in Ireland, with my friend Mr. A. G. More, we 

 stopped as we crossed the bridge which spans the little trout 

 stream connecting Loughs Dan and Luggala, — he to play with 

 artificial flies and brown trout ; I, with my net, among the 

 natural flies. The day was very cloudy and heavy, but hot. 

 Much to my astonishment, on entering the meadows by the 

 river side, I found a specimen of il/. homhyliformis slowly 

 hovering over a plant of red rattle [Pedicularis palustris], 

 which was with the insect duly netted ; for experience had 

 taught me in Yorkshire, that striking sideways was useless in 

 capturing this fast-flying moth. Always strike down while it 

 hovers over the flower, and then lift the bottom of the net and it 

 will flutter upwards. I'urther searcli, during the hour or so we 



