208 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



soars gracefully high up amongst the trees, occa- 

 sionally resting on a branch a yard or two out of 

 reach, but by dint of watching, and an occasional 

 clamber up a steep bank, I bring two or three to 

 bag. The beautiful little "Queen of Spain" is 

 fairly abundant, and I net a goodly number. I 

 have now nearly filled my card, and think it is 

 time to take a rest. My card, by the way, is part 

 of a system I employ when collecting large num- 

 bers of insects for exchange and other purposes. 

 I write out on a small card the names of the insects 

 likely to be met with, and the number of each 

 species required. I also prepare ready folded 

 papers in three or four sizes. As each insect is 

 caught and killed it is placed in the paper, the 

 necessary data written on the flap thereof, and a 

 pencil tick made against its name on the card. In 

 this manner I have frequently secured hundreds of 

 insects in a few hours, being able to see at any 

 moment the number bagged. This also avoids 

 unnecessary destruction of insect life. I think 

 with regret of the time and insects I have formerly 

 lost through the old system of collecting-box and 

 pins. 



I seat myself beneath the shade of a huge cork- 

 tree and produce the bread and wine which I 

 consume in solitude. The scene is exceedingly 

 pretty. Away below me lies the scattered village 

 of Tacoronte, and far above the horizon I can 

 discern the distant mountain tops of the Island of 

 La Palma, whilst behind the noble peak rears 

 its summit 10,000 feet above me. The immediate 

 surroundings are full of interest. The wood is 

 alive with insects, all fulfilling their purpose in 

 the economy of nature. Although these islands 

 are not rich in lepidtopterous insects, the other 

 orders are very largely represented. Of orthop- 

 terous insects, locusts, crickets and grasshoppers 

 fill the air with their music, and I have noticed 

 to-day three distinct species of Mantidae. Neurop- 

 tera supplies dragon-flies innumerable, some of 

 large size and startling beauty. Hymenopterous 

 and dipterous insects are specially plentiful, and 

 would doubtless yield many new species to an 

 assiduous observer. Fossores and ichneumons of 

 many species abound. Strange to say, although 

 I search for them I see very few beetles, although 

 they are by no means scarce in these islands. That 

 indefatigable and painstaking coleopterist, Woolas- 

 ton, as long ago as 1864, observed 930 species in the 

 Canary Islands, a large proportion being endemic. 

 To the botanist also there is much of interest in 

 this wood. All around me are the huge balls of the 

 Laurus persea, some at least twenty feet in circum- 

 ference. Enormous tree heaths, locally known as 

 " breso," which are here largely burnt for making 

 charcoal ; laurels growing to a great size, and many 

 other trees whose names I do not know. Ferns 

 are here in abundance, amongst them the " Kil- 



larney " fern, and others prized by fern hunters. I 

 revel in this scene of quiet and peaceful beauty, 

 and listlessly watch the numerous birds around. 

 Above me, high up, three falcons are soaring in the 

 air, recalling to my memory the graceful flight of 

 the huge condor of the Andes. Small flocks of 

 wild canaries flash to and fro. These birds in a 

 wild state are something like the common linnet in 

 colour, but in captivity the plumage gradually 

 becomes yellow. Some acclimatization experiments 

 are at present being carried out in Germany. A 

 year ago, amongst other birds set free in the Black 

 Forest were some yellow canaries : these, in a few 

 months, lost the yellow colouring and became 

 brown. Would not this indicate that the yellow- 

 ness is produced by the food supplied in captivity ? 



To return to the butterflies. Over my head soars 

 slowly a magnificent specimen of Danais plexippus, 

 but as this butterfly is not on my card, I content 

 myself with watching its graceful flight. It is a 

 curious fact that that almost ubiquitous mimicker 

 of the Danaidae, Diadema misippus, has not followed 

 them to the Canary Islands. 



After a delightful rest, I prepare to retrace my 

 steps to Tacoronte. On the way down I see 

 Pyrantels atalanta, and its ally, P. callirrhoe, a splendid 

 insect and usually very plentiful here. I reach 

 Tacoronte at 4 p.m., and am most hospitably 

 entertained at afternoon tea by an English family 

 temporarily resident there. The public coach 

 being then nearly due to pass here, I bid my hosts 

 adieu and start on the road, walking slowly on and 

 on, but the coach appeareth not. I cover nine 

 miles and the night is dark before it overtakes me. 

 It already contains seventeen people, although only 

 constructed to hold ten. They, however, good- 

 naturedly made standing room for me, and after a 

 drive of two hours I reach Santa Cruz at 10 p.m., 

 after a rather tiring but pleasant and interesting 

 day. A day alone with Nature. 



The following butterflies occur in the Canary 

 Islands, there being represented four families, four 

 sub-families, thirteen genera, and twenty-eight 

 species : 



P'amily Nymphalidae, sub-family Danainae : 

 Danais plexippus, D. chrysippus, D. alcippus, D. 

 akippoides. Sub-family Satyrinae : Pararge Xiphi- 

 oides, Epiphenele hispulla, Hipparchia statilinus. Sub- 

 family Nymphalinae : Pyrantels callirrhoe, P. atalanta, 

 P. cardui, P. huntera, Argynnis pandora, A. latonia. 



Family Lycaenidae : Lycana bcetica, L. lysimon, 

 L. alexis, L. webbiana, L. astrarche, var. astiva, 

 Polyommalus phlmas. 



Family Papilionidae, sub-family Pierinas : Pieris 

 cheiranthi, P. woolastonii, P. rapa, P. daplidice, Colias 

 edusa and var. helice, Gonepteryx cleobule, Euchloe 

 charlonia. 



Family Hesperidae : Pamphila actaon. 



Mrs. A. E. Holt White, in a monograph on the 



