THE YOUNG 



flies of varied hues— yellow, azure blue, 

 sober brown, and fiery red, with combina- 

 tions, such as an artist loves to see, of scarlet 

 and black, blue and silver, and purple and 

 yellow. Now is the time for the entomolo- 

 gist to be away to the woods — 

 "Away to the woods in summer's bright hour3, 

 When a gentle breeze stirs the sweet-scented flowers." 

 and beautiful insects, whose 



"Colours out-vie 

 The tints that the sunset flings on the west sky," 

 are there awaiting him. And not only but- 

 terflies of rich colouring, but also others of 

 more sober hue, or even altogether tintless, 

 but yet of great interest for their rarity, are 

 to be found by the diligent entomologist in 

 the woods of the south of England, or on 

 the heaths by the sea coast. 



Butterflies for August. 



For instance, the second brood of the 

 Wood White Butterfly (Leucojphasia siiiapis) 

 is flying now in the southern counties, and 

 even occurs occasionally in places further 

 north. The spotlessly white wings (except 

 for the squarish dark blotch on the tip of 

 the fore ones, and the dark shading on the 

 under side of the hind ones) , together with 

 the very slender body and short antennae, 

 are characters by which it can be readily 

 recognised. 



The second brood of the very rare Bath 

 White Butterfly (Pieris daplidice) is on the 

 wing on the continent in the month of 

 August, and may occur in England. Should 

 any young entomologist living on the south- 

 ern coast fall in with it, he may easily 

 recognise it by the large, square, central, 

 black spot on the front wings, each of which 

 has, moreover, four or more white spots on 

 the black tip. The hind wings are greenish, 

 with square or rhomboidal white spots. 



The lepidopterist should also now be on 

 the look-out for the Pale Clouded Yellow 

 Butterfly ( Colias hyale ) in the lucerne 

 fields of the south of England. It will 

 probably be met with in many places this 



NATUEALIST 203 



hot summer. And it is in August that the 

 Camber well Beauty (Vanessa antiopa) 

 makes its appearance, and in the latter 

 part of the month, specimens of that great 

 prize, the Queen of Spain Fritillary (Argyn- 

 nis latlwniz). It may be recognised by the 

 large silver spots on the under side of the 

 fore wings. Argynnis aglaia has also silver 

 spots, but is a larger insect, and it has, 

 moreover, greenish hind wings, while in 

 lathonia they are yellowish, with seven sil- 

 very spots on the margin and seven large 

 brilliant ones towards the base. Near the 

 marginal row of silver spots there is also 

 another row of the same number of dark 

 brown spots, each of which has a silver dot 

 in the centre. 



The Brown Hair-streak (Thecla lctulce), 

 recognisable by the two white, slender 

 streaks on the under side of the hind wings, 

 also flies in August about the southern 

 hedgerows. Like the other members of the 

 genus to which it belongs, the hind wings 

 are tailed. Two other Hair-streak butter- 

 flies also accur now, namely, the Purple 

 Hair-streak (Thecla guercus) and the Green 

 Hair-streak (Thecla inibi), 



Sphingina and Bombycina for August. 



Not butterflies only, but moths are out in 

 August in great numbers, and it is to them 

 I must now turn. Most of the Sphingina 

 and Bombycina flying in August were also 

 on the wing last month, so I shall allude to 

 them but very briefly. 



The Convolvulus Hawk Moth ( S. convoh 

 vuli) comes out at the end of the month, 

 and if met with can readily be distinguished 

 by the ground colour of the hind wings 

 being pale grey, and not rosy, as in the 

 Privet Hawk Moth (S ligustri). The pale 

 straw-coloured Lithosia stramineola and the 

 smoke-coloured Dingy Footman (L.griseola) 

 with a narrow yellow streak along the costa 

 and grey thorax, come out in August, as 

 does also the Gipsy Moth (Liparis dispar), 



