June 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



95 



wings cov(!ring from one-third to one-half of 

 the wing; or tlie variety of Herbst, with wliite 

 border and enormously large blue spots. 



Early in April the hibernating Graptas were 

 on the wing, and on the 29tii of April that blue 

 spring beauty, Lucia, appeared in large and 

 brilliant companies. Since then how the but- 

 terflies and moths have come trooping in until 

 now the smallest and the greatest, the most 

 somber and the most brilliant meet at almost 

 every floral banquet. 



The capture of the daj' flyers is comparative- 

 ly easy, but the catching of night fliers of the 

 larger varieties is not so small a matter. As 

 every dog has its day so every moth seems to 

 have its prefen-ed time to fly, and how rarely 

 the big moths are taken at lamp posts; and 

 how many nights they are sought in vain. 

 In dark close woods they may often be taken 

 on the wing late in the afternoon ; and on the 

 darkest and mustiest nights of summer they are 

 abroad. The order of their flight is as well de- 

 fined as the movement of the stars in their 

 courses. 



The Promethea moth is almost always on the 

 wing two hours after the sun has crossed the 

 meridian, while the Polyphemus and Satuinia 

 lo. are not flying until an hour aftei- sunset. 

 So among the hawk moths, D. Lineata will 

 sport in the afternoon sometimes, while the 

 rest of the family love to sport in the shade of 

 the evening — mostly at the tvvihght hour. 

 The Cecropia in assembling seldom comes be- 

 fore nine o'clock p. m., wbile fair Luma will 

 often jjostpone her calls till midnight or early 

 moining. Yet a stray moth or two of all these 

 varieties may be found on the lamp jjosts or at 

 the electric lights occasionally early in the 

 evening. Those varieties, D. Imperialis and C. 

 Legulis, are seldom found at street lights. In 

 ten years I have found one specimen of Regalis 

 Odora in Connecticut in this way. 



The c}'anide bottle — a small quantity of cy- 

 anide of potassium held in the bottom of a wide 

 mouthed vial and tightly stoppled, is indispen- 

 sable. It is a cheap contrivance and kills flies or 

 beetles at once. 



Ten or twelve feet of malleable wire with a 

 flat small coil at the end, sliould be carried 

 coiled in the pocket to knock down those rare 

 and wily moths that cling to the braaches of 

 trees and sit high up on buildings in the elec- 

 tric light. A well directed blow upon the 

 thorax with this will bring down the most del- 

 icately plumaged moth in good shape. 



Hunt the fields, work the lights, watch the 

 flower beds, be diligent and untiring in collect- 



ing, and in the fall the additions made to your 

 cabinet will surprise you. 



At the close of the season let others know 

 tlirough the journal you take, concerning the 

 result of your observations and the rare catches 

 you have made. 



On the Cicindelae of Boston. 



BV L. E. IIOOI). 



The city of Boston, including as it does Rox- 

 bury, Allston and Brighton, with their parks, 

 open places and groves, present an inviting 

 field for the local collector who wishes to limit 

 his collection to a certain locality. 



For some two or three years I have be(>n 

 gathering material for a list of the Coltoptera 

 of Boston, but as yet my collection is far from 

 complete and I will now onlj' note the Cicin- 

 dehe found within the city limits. 



The most common species is Cicindeht. pur- 

 purea Oliv., found in Franklin Park, Allston, 

 on new roads near Brighton Avenue, Cottage 

 Farm and on sandy roads in Koxbury. 



Of C vulgaris Say. I have only found a few 

 specimens on a new road in Allston, with C 

 purpurea Oliv. and in Franklin Park, Koxbury. 



C G-ijuttata Fab. very rare on rocks near the 

 play-ground not far from th(^ pond in Franklin 

 Park. 



A variety of C. 6-guttuta Fab. the C. patruela 

 of Dej. which in May is found in Newton in 

 sandy fields, peneti'ates to the Brighton bound- 

 ry line and may be a species included in this 

 list, but it will be exceedingly rare. 



C. Hentzu Dej. is said to have been found on 

 the hills around lloxbury, but it is doubtful if 

 within Boston limits. 



The small C. jntuctnlKt.a Fab. is found in 

 Franklin Park in August. Allston, one speci- 

 men August 20th, 1885, and on a i-oad oft" Blue 

 Hill Avenue, l\0xbur3^ 



It is a <|uestion in my mind if C. dorsalis Say. 

 may not be found on the sea shore of East Bos- 

 ton, toward AVinthrop Junction, or to the south, 

 and I shall make a thorough search for speci- 

 mens this season. 



Sphingidae of New England, 



SPHINX CHEIJSIS HUB. 



Head and palpi bright gray, a brown stripe 

 running from the apex of the latter to the eyes. 

 The thorax is of the same color and is marked 



