194 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



opaline reflections of colour, the peculiar shape and relative 

 proportion of the fore to the hind pair^, the form of the an- 

 tennae, and even the colours of the body, and their arrange- 

 ment in bands, are so exactly imitated, that every species 

 of JEgeria seems to have its hymenopterous counterpart. 

 I have observed in some, which possess the deep blue wings 

 common to many of the Sphexes and Ichneumons, even the 

 habits of those flies ; the restlessness, the short flights, the 

 frequent turns and starts, and even the flirting of the wings, 

 which no one can have failed to observe in the larger Ichieu- 

 mons. Again, see how close in the small hind- wings, and 

 the ramification of the nervures, of the genus Psocus of 

 Latreille, is the order Neuroptera brought to Hi/menoptera, 

 And when the hind-wings of this latter order are united to 

 the fore ones by their minute hooks, it is not easy to perr 

 ceive the difference between them, and the single wings of 

 many in the order Diptera. " Thus does Nature laugh at 

 our systems ! " 



C. — The Tiger Swallow-tails (Papilio Turnus) have 

 become abundant : they have a very noble appearance in 

 flight when compared with the meaner fry : they are seen a 

 great way off, as they come dancing through the green lanes, 

 and I do not now find them difficult of capture. Since this 

 month began, I have obtained as many as twenty-five 

 species of moths, which I had not seen before, of which 

 seventeen are Geometrce. The Streaked Hooktip, (Flatypteryx 

 Erosa ?) Lemon Beauty, (Angerona Sospeta ?J Pea Green, 

 (Chlorissa Putataria?) and Grandee (Geometra Clema- 

 taria), are very elegant species, and the last-named is the 

 largest Geometra I have seen here. The others of this 

 division are not remarkable. A curious little Pyralis, the 



Rhinoceros Moth, (Herminia ?) occurs now in clover 



fields : the palpi, which are very long, are recurved over 

 the head like a horn. Three are Bombyces, the first I have 



