A Monthly Magazine of Natural History. 



Part 69. SEPTEMBER, 1885. Vol. 6. 



THE ENTOMOLOGICAL YEAR. 



By ALBERT H. WATERS, B.A. 



SEPTEMBER. 



Bright summer-time is giving place 



To autumn's cloudy skies, 

 But yet the myriad insect race, 



Beetles, bees, and hovering flies, 



And gaily painted butterflies, 

 Which nectar suck from many a flower, 



Still charm the nature-lover's sight, 

 And at the quiet evening hour 



The moths come forth with noiseless flight. 



I think there is nothing prettier in the eyes of an entomologist than a bed 

 of Michaelmas daisies, when on a bright September clay the flowers are 

 covered with insects. I have many times seen Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral 

 and Peacock butterflies, almost swarming at these blossoms on a sunny day 

 in the autumn, with perhaps one or two Common Blues and Small Coppers, 

 while numerous bees and hoverer-flies have helped to make up such a 

 crowd of insects that the flowers have been almost completely hidden. 

 And at night the moths have held gay revels and have swarmed at these 

 asters in my garden, even to a greater extent than their day-flying brethren, 

 and have thus afforded evidence that the number of lepidoptera in the imago 

 state is not yet much diminished. And, in truth, a great many species may 

 be observed most of which, however, have emerged from the pupa state in 

 previous months. I will merely mention the very rare Vanessa antiopa, and 

 Argynnis lat7ionia, the Speckled Wood [Satyrus cegeria), stragglers of which 

 may still be met with, the Death's Head and Convolvulus Hawk-moths 

 (Acherontia Atropos and Sphinx convolvuli) ; Ennomos tiliaria, E. fuscan- 

 taria, E. erosaria and E, angularia, all of which come to light. Hydrcecia 

 micacea, Roctua glareosa, Anchocelis rufina, A. pistacina, A. hinosa, and all 

 the members of the genus Xant/ria, 



