10 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Again, quoting from my field note-book :—‘‘ July 26th, 1907. 
All across the Black Sea from the Crimea to the Bosphorus we 
were accompanied by a mighty swarm of moths—the same, I 
think, that I noticed in 1901. A vast swarm of beetles and butter- 
flies (Painted Ladies) accompanied them, and also a few other 
moths. A strong and continuous north wind brought them.” 
Dragonfres.—In August, 1902, we were lying off Ghenitshesk 
in the Azov, and were troubled with flies and gnats &c. that 
were blown out to us from the shore; they came in great 
quantities quite suddenly with a change of wind. My note- 
book records our deliverance from the plague thus :—‘‘ August 
26th, 1902. A swarm of small dragonflies (blue, red, and 
yellow) invaded the ship and fed on the gnats &c.” Our 
authority, Mr. W. J. Lucas, identified them as Sympetrum fons- 
colombu, which he informed me were migrating at this time. 
Most of them departed in a day or so, though occasional stow- 
aways emerged from odd corners during the test of the voyage. 
Beetles.*—Lying off the southern end of the Tonka of Arabat 
in the Azov we experienced a plague of beetles, which I recorded 
as follows :—‘‘ July 10th, 1907. To-day there was an epidemic of 
black beetles about an inch long, which flew on board in crowds, 
and were swept up in heaps dead—some killed by paraffin, and 
some roasted to death on the hotsteam pipes &c. The swarm has 
evidently been immense, as it lasted for three or four hours, and 
came with the north wind which must have blown the beetles 
from the north coast some fifty miles away, and therefore 
quantities must have been drowned on the way. When I went 
ashore at four p.m. (a distance of two miles) drowned beetles 
were to be seen in thousands all the way to the shore.” This 
species came again in batches every two or three days and, as 
previously mentioned, accompanied us across the Black Sea. I 
have the following note written when the Bosphorus was again 
reached :—‘‘ Black Sea July 24th, 1907. At Kertch (July 22nd) 
I saw hundreds of the same beetles in the sea, and all across the 
Black Sea we had another plague of them, especially on July 24th. 
There was a north-west wind all the time, which brought them 
from the Crimea.” 
* I am indebted to Mr. W. F. Kirby for identifying these as Harpalus 
calceatus, Duftschm. 
