2l6 



THE NATURE BOOK 



pair of wings are of a silvcry-groy colour, 

 with an oval buff patch at the U\). When 

 the moth comes to rest it wraps its fore- 



COCKCHAFER BEETLE FEEDING. 

 The lower photograph was taken three minutes 

 after the upper, and shows the progress 

 made by the Beetle in his meal. 



wings round its body in a peculiar 

 manner, which gives it the appearance of a 

 bit of broken stick, its buf^-coloured head, 

 and the patch of the same colour on the 

 tip of each fore -wing, resembling the 

 broken ends of'the stick. The illustration 

 on page 215 will explain the matter better 

 than a volume of words. There a ])air 

 of the moths are shown just as I found 

 them resting. These interesting moths 

 are very common, and may be found 

 about the bark of various trees, especially 

 elms, and not infrequently amidst the 

 grass and herbage. 



Another insect that resembl' s a bit of 

 broken wood or pccled-off and shrivelled 

 bark is the familiar Cockchafer Beetle 

 (Melolontha vulgaris). At night time it 

 takes to its wings and is a bold h/ut some- 

 what reckless flyer. One night, while 

 cycling, my bell suddenly rang out one 

 note quite loudly. No one was near, 

 and I had not touched it. A little start- 

 ling, it is true ; but I knew that the in- 

 visible musician was no other than the 

 clumsy Cockchafer ; a second later 1 heard 



his horny body fall amongst the herbage 

 in the ditch. What he thought of the 

 noise, to say nothing of the shock, will 

 always remain unknown. During the 

 dav these insects sleep amongst the 

 leaves, but occasionally they wake up and 

 munch a piece of the leaf, as shown in 

 the illustration on this page. 



I now only have space to add the 

 illustration, referred to in my last paper, 

 of the Brimstone Butterfly. The photo- 

 graph shows the newly emerged butterfly 

 clinging to its empty chrysalis skin, while 

 its wings dry and come under muscular 

 control. The butterfly that emerges in 

 July or August lives throughout the winter, 

 but where it hides during that period is a 

 complete mysteiy. Holly bushes have 

 been suggested as a likely place, and it has 

 been pointed out that its quaint-cut 

 wings resemble a yellow, dried holh' leaf. 

 The suggestion is ingenious, but I have 

 never yet discovered a Brimstone Butter- 

 fly in that situation, although I have 

 searched many times ; neither have I 

 heard of any one who has so discovered 



A BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY JUST EMERGED FROM 

 ITS CHRYSALIS TO WHICH IT IS CLINGING 

 "WHILE ITS WINGS DRY. 



it. Nevertheless, on the first sunny 

 day that presages spring, the butterflies 

 api)car — from somewhere ! 



Joii.\- J. Ward. 



