27 



The Smithsonian Institution was also visited, with its immense collections and 

 innumerable objects of interest, and through the kindness and liberality of the Secretary, 

 some recent and valuable works on Entomology and kindred subjects were secured for 

 our Society's library. 



Passing through Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, we landed in Fernandina, 

 Florida, with its historic surroundings, on the 30th day of November, where everything 

 assumed a tropical aspect, the landscape dotted with palms, orange trees, magnolias, 

 live-oaks, and other evergreen trees, and the air so balmy as to at once suggest thoughts 

 of butterfly nets and collecting bottles. Of the latter a supply was at hand, but not ex- 

 pecting to meet with anything on the wing, insect nets were left folded away in their 

 wintry home. Many logs and chips were turned over in search of insect life, but very 

 little was found. Subsequently, while wandering about in Jacksonville, I saw several 

 butterflies on the wing, most of them unfamiliar ; that charming yellow Calhdryas eubule, 

 was recognized as it floated about among the beautiful roses, jessamines, poinsettas and 

 other flowers in the gardens, and one longed for a net that he might cultivate a closer 

 acquaintance with this and some of the other interesting species. An old friend, 

 Danais archipjnis, was frequently met with, and reminded me of summer at home. 

 Florida, however, is very poor in insects at this season of the year, but as summer ap- 

 proaches it is in many parts a paradise for the collector. During a week spent in this 

 land of flowers I travelled over 800 miles along its rivers and railways, seeing much of 

 its characteristic scenery, the most southerly point touched being Leesburgh, on Lake 

 Griffin, a little south of the 29th degree of latitude and 300 miles south of Jacksonville, 

 by tortuous river travel. Here butterflies were more abundant, and having landed with 

 a very pleasant party in an orange grove, amidst half a million of oranges on 2,500 

 large bearing trees, one was puzzled what to do first. The oranges were tempting, but 

 the sight of beautiful specimens of Agraulis vanillce, D. berenice, with charming Heliconias, 

 Thcclas, etc., was still more overpowering, and with hat in hand, the butterflies were 

 vigorously pursued until several specimens had been secured, but with such imperfect 

 means of capture at hand, the beautiful insects were battered and torn, and ones cloth- 

 ing having become covered with malignant burs collected in the chase, it was thought 

 best under the circumstances — the first burst of enthusiasm being over — to devote more 

 particular attention to the orange question. 



While vigorously consuming oranges, enquiries were made as to whether the trees 

 or fruit were subject to insect enemies. Beyond occasional specimens of the larva of 

 Papilio Cresphontes, I could not learn of any caterpillar which consumed the leaves, and 

 the only insect which seemed to trouble the orange growers at all was a species of Coccus 

 — Aspidiotus citricrda — which attacks the bark and foliage of both the orange and lemon 

 trees, and occasionally, if very numerous, gives the tree a sickly appearance. But such 

 an effect was rare, and one could not help feeling astonished at the luxuriant and vigor- 

 ous growth of the average orange grove and the symmetry and beauty of the trees laden 

 with their golden fruit, in soil, in most instances, so poor that one wondered where the 

 nourishment came from. In our course up and down the Ocklawaha Kiver, where the 

 trees are everywhere clothed with the beautiful Florida moss, Tillandsia usneoides, and 

 the swampy margins decked with brilliant asters and other composite flowers, many 

 Neuropterous insects were seen on the wing, but none were captured ; indeed, the catch- 

 ing of an insect seemed insignificant work in the midst of the excitement attendant on 

 the shooting of alligators, herons, ducks and other lar ? qe game, and at the close of the 

 week there were very few spoils wherewith to grace the Entomological cabinet. Now, a 

 few days later, amidst frosts and snow, the novel recollection of the recent heated butter- 

 fly chase, the cooling off under the shade of orange trees, imbibing the sweet rich juice 

 of the fully-ripened fruit, and the additional novelty of a sunburnt brow, all in the midst 

 of the month of December, are things not soon to be forgotten. 



