AUGUST. 261 



F. — Have you examined the Milkweed by day^ as well 

 as in the twilight of evening ? 



C. — Yes ; I have found it on sunny days swarming with 

 insects of all orders ; many daj^-flying moths frequent it, 

 and different species of flies and bees. I took from it a 

 dipterous fly, very much resembling a Sphex in shape ; the 

 abdomen clubbed, or subglobular, and joined to the abdomen 

 by a slender petiole : the head is large ; and the mouth has 

 a projecting tube, like that of a gnat (Conops Rufipes?). 

 I also took a little Ceramhyx, black, with bright yellow 



curves on the wing cases (Clytus ?^ : and a pretty 



little Sphinx J the Six-spotted Blue Hawk-moth {Alypia 

 Octomaculata). But it is chiefly the resort of crowds of but- 

 terflies of almost every species that is now about ; but more 

 particularly the Fritillaries ; of which a large and handsome 

 species is numerous, the Great Spangled Fritillary ( Argynnis 

 Cybele). 



F. — This much resembles the Silver-spot ( Argynnis 

 Aphrodite )i and for a long time I supposed it to be the 

 female of that species; but having seen the latter in coitu, 

 I am convinced they, are two distinct species : the Great 

 Spangled being distinguished from the other by its superior 

 size, brighter tint of colour, and by the less number of black 

 spots on the wings. 



C. — I have seen the Camberwell Beauty ( Vanessa An- 

 tiopd) about, within a few days. This noble butterfly has 

 not been seen before, to my knowledge, since the first days 

 of spring. The Tiger Swallowtails have disappeared about a 

 fortnight. A Grey Comma (Grapta C. ArgenteumJ has 

 been evolved from the chrysalis I mentioned to you, having 

 been in pupa thirteen days. I saw, the other day, a very 

 fine butterfly, the Archippus (Danais Archippus) ; the 

 largest species I have yet seen. It fluttered along slowly 



