5906 



An Entomologist's 



on the surface, with outspread wings, I have often thought what a 

 model for setting they presented to the entomologist. 



As the autumnal months, April and May, advanced, insects became 

 less plentiful, but did not entirely forsake us. The Lepidoptera were 

 of smaller size, and many Micros used to come into our canvas tent 

 at night, probably to shelter from the cold. In May, June, July and 

 August we had many frosts : the ice, however, invariably melted be- 

 fore the following noon. During this season I found many beetles in 

 pools of water, and also Lepidoptera, many of them closely resembling 

 in colour our dark brown autumnal insects. 



In July I removed to Barker's Creek, which in a few weeks re- 

 sounded with the unceasing croaking song of innumerable frogs. In 

 August and early September the gully was beautifully brightened by 

 the golden blossoms of the wattles, which were three weeks earlier 

 in flower this year than in the preceding one. 



With the first burst of vernal vegetation, in August and September, 

 new insect forms appeared, so curious and so beautiful that I could 

 not resist the temptation to collect, but all my pins were gone ; what 

 could 1 do} I hunted over the collection I had made, and when I 

 found more than two of a species I stripped them off the pins, and 

 used the pins a second time for the novelties. By this means I ma- 

 naged to secure many new species, although for the same reason I 

 kept only a single specimen of each. Several lovely Micros were thus 

 preserved ; they were mostly found settled on low and insignificant 

 plants. 



In October the slopes of the ravines were a blaze of bloom. Woody 

 and stick-like trees and shrubs of the genus Casuarina, which at no 

 period of the year bore anything worthy the name of a leaf, were now 

 a mass of the most dazzling inflorescence. From October to the 

 third week in November is the best season both for plants and insects 

 at this locahty. In Specimen Gully, about a mile from my tent, I saw 

 more species than in any other spot throughout the Mount Alexander 

 Ranges, and here I captured some of my most lovely insects. 



On the 12th of November I received a packet of pins from England, 

 which gave me much delight, and I found them of great service during 

 what little remained of the entomological season. I would gladly 

 have given their weight in gold to have had them six weeks earlier, 

 but the bloom soon after left the ravines, the trees and shrubs resumed 

 their stick-like appearance, the herbage was dried up and scorched 

 beneath a burning sun, and day after day the sky was without a cloud. 

 Collecting insects became a labour not unattended with danger. In 



