Insects. 1411 



NATURALIST'S CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER. 



Birds. — Most of the migratory birds are now moving towards the equator. The 

 greater portion of the summer visiters have left us, but a few remain ; and the wheat- 

 ear and lesser pettychaps may sometimes be seen quite to the end of the month. Swal- 

 lows and martins, which tarry here much longer than our other summer birds, now 

 congregate in vast flocks, the former seeming to prefer trees for their meetings, and the 

 latter the roofs of houses. At this period many song thrushes arrive in small flocks 

 from the northern parts of Europe, and after remaining a short time, seem to journey 

 on to more southern climes. They mostly appear a short time before the redwings, 

 which seldom arrive till the latter end of the month. Small parties of ring ousels 

 visit the southern counties of England, on their way to warmer climates, from the 

 breeding stations in the north of England and Scotland. During their stay they feed 

 upon the berries of the yew and mountain ash. The elegant gray wagtail also quits 

 its northern haunts, and may be found by running water during the winter, in most of 

 the southern counties. The various finches now congregate in large flocks, and it is at 

 this season that such large numbers are taken by the London bird-catchers. 



Insects. — In this month the beautiful tribe of moths denominated '-buttons" 

 (Peronece) appear. They are tolerably common in the New Forest, and other wooded 

 districts, and are either extremely variable, or the species are very numerous, but it is 

 more probable, that when they are better understood, the genus will be found to consist 

 of a few variable species. Many of the Noctute may now be taken, and among them 

 Calocampa vetusta, an insect till recently considered extremely rare ; Orthosia pista- 

 cina, one of the most variable of insects ; O.lunosa, O. litura, and O. macilenta. Some 

 few GeometrcB may be found, such as Larentia cervinaria , Triphosa dubitata, $-c. Dur- 

 ing this month most of the caterpillars of the " prominent moths " may be found at 

 their full growth ; those of Leiocampa Dictcea and Notodonta Ziczac on willows and 

 poplars, and those of L. dictaoides and N. Dromedarius on the birch. — Henry 

 Doubleday ; Naturalist's Almanack for 1845. 



Appearance of Colias Edusa in the Isle of Wight. — As the constant or periodical 

 recurrence of Colias Edusa may still be regarded as an unsettled question with some of 

 the readers of the ' Zoologist'' who incline to the old opinion of a triennial interval be- 

 tween its visitations, and a total suspension or nearly so of its appearance during that 

 space of time ; I can again, as on a former occasion, (Zoologist for January, 1845) 

 add my testimony to that of such correspondents as may probably communicate the re- 

 sult of their experience in some forthcoming number of this journal, in proof of its an- 

 nual advents in some parts at least of the country. I first saw C. Edusa on the wing 

 this summer, July 3rd, since which time up to October 29th I have repeatedly re- 

 marked it in different parts of the island, increasing in frequency with the advance of 

 the season, though by no means abundant. I speak within bounds in saving that I 

 have observed a score or upwards within these four months, a small number compared 

 with even that of last year, which was not the epoch of maximum production. My 

 friend the Rev. J. F. Dawson has remarked the individuals produced this summer to 

 be paler than usual, and I myself captured a specimen of the white or rather sulphur- 



iv 5 p 



