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THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



THE ENTOMOLOGICAL YEAR. 



By ALBERT H. WATERS, B.A. 



MAECH. 



Spring is coming! The lengthening days, the cheerful light, 



Proclaim its advent near. And the frosts are keen, 



The winds do fiercely blow, and rains abundant fall, 



'Tis only winter's last convulsive grip to hold 



What he must part with soon. Prepare then for the work 



Which spring provides for active hands.— Anon. 



Everyone is familiar with the meteorological surroundings of March, and 

 there is no need to describe them other ^than very briefly. Some days are 

 perhaps beautifully bright and genial, the brimstone and tortoise shell 

 butterflies come out and revel in the warm rays of the sun, we see the lady- 

 birds and humble bees about, and we see the beetles running about in the 

 sunshine with elytra glittering like gold, the birds sing triumphantly over 

 the defeat of winter, buds and blossoms break and all nature smiles ; but 

 then, alas ! comes a change ; the east winds blow with chilling force and 

 winter is again the conqueror. Possibly the weather vane shifts round to 

 the north, and frost and snow are as much the order of things as if it were 

 January. Then again the genial south winds blow and winter once more 

 retires before the coming spring, the sallows bloom and the entomologist finds 

 the time has come when he must be up and doing. 



On one of these bright days the coleopterist will find much occupation. 

 All the Carabi may still be found, and we may see the tiger beetles also 

 actively moving about in the sun. The natural history of the Cicindelidce is 

 very interesting, and I will say something about it next month. I will 

 content myself this month with merely alluding to it. 



The beetles we shall find in March are, generally speaking, such species 

 as we have been turning up all the winter, as, for instance Carahus violaceus, 

 Carabus monilis and others of the genus, Harpalus ruficomis, Harpalus 

 (zneus, Anchomenus albipes, Anchomenus prasinus, Bembidium ceneum, 

 Bembidium rufescens, Amara communis, Amara apricaria, Aleocharafuscipes, 

 Pterostichus niger, Pterosiic7ms madidus, Pterostichus cupreus, Apkodius ater 

 and other Aphodii, together with many others which I have not room for, 

 but some of which have already been mentioned in preceding months. I am 

 sorry I can do no more than merely give a list of names, but several of them 

 will be found figured in the plates, given with the last two volumes of the 

 Young Naturalist. 



The principal work of the lepidopterist in March is at the sallows and 

 larvae hunting at night with a lantern. Of course all the members of the 



