1 56 INSECT OBSER VA TION. 



there exists, close to the garden-room where I 

 usually sit and write, a valley, with winding grassy 

 paths and banks of azaleas and rhododendrons. 

 It is a quiet and secluded spot, and has been so 

 for the last twenty years. 



Generations of birds have nested in its shrub- 

 beries year after year ; bees know well that the 

 spot is rich in honey-laden flowers ; insects that 

 they will be undisturbed there save by the blue-tits 

 and other fly-hunting birds. Mosses and lichens 

 carpet the moist, shady banks on one side, whilst 

 bright sunshine glistens on the opposite side 

 through the greater part of the day. There could 

 not be a more favourable spot for insect observa- 

 tion, and this is the special by-path to which I 

 would direct the reader's attention to-day. One 

 frequently hears the remark, " I should like to 

 know more about the habits of insects," and the 

 question often follows, " How can I best study 

 them ? " To this I would reply by describing what 

 is to be seen and learned in my valley. 



This will not pretend to be a scientific descrip- 

 tion of insect life, but simply a quiet glimpse at the 

 habits of several kinds of winged creatures disport- 



