86 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[May 



one of the home comforts which some benevolent person has introduced. 



The " Old ladies" (Dasypodia selenepliora ) here fly into bedrooms 

 quite late at night. I found one when I got up the other morning just 

 behind my head. 



I have noticed some very peculiar scale insects, and gall producing 

 species are in abundance both Cynips and Cecidomyia. It is worthy 

 of remark that many Tineae seem to attack the galls and eat the 

 original owner out of its habitation. From one lot of galls I bred 

 three species of Tinea, one of Cynips, one of Cecidomyia, a weevil 

 and several ichneumons. I also find T. fencstrella feeding in rotten 

 galls, miles up country, and in fact was very disgusted when the moths 

 emerged, as I expected something new. 



There is a very common coleopteron of a bronzy green colour, 

 which swarms in great numbers on csr^aii tre3S ; and, being of a good 

 size, it presents a pretty appearance during sunshine. I think the 

 larva must feed in the wood. While mentioning coleoptera, I should 

 say that one method of collecting greatly in favour with our coleop- 

 terists, is to examine the beach all along the bay after a " hot-wind 

 day," as large numbers of good Buprestidce are thrown up from their 

 watery graves. But if the sun be ever so powerful, the collector must 

 not indulge in a bath, for the rippling waves, which look so inviting, 

 harbour quantities of sharks, which are constantly carrying off dogs and 

 anything else they can get. 



Many species occur here in vast quantities. I have twice seen 

 clusters of large "frog hoppers" and, as they were very prettily 

 marked with black and scarlet, I took home one cluster in my bag, 

 and found that it consisted of 271 specimens. The tree was covered 

 with such clusters. 



The larvae of a very pretty butterfly, Pieris harpalyce, also feed gre- 

 gariously upon the native mistletoe which grows in clumps from the 

 branches of the Shea Oaks and Gums, round the tops of which trees 

 the perfect insects fly much like Iris, and quite out of reach. 



A large Agrotis is very plentiful, and strange to say, may be seen 

 during the day time, hovering round the trees, though they also fly by 

 night, being somewhat like H. armigera, which hovers round the herb- 

 age morn, noon, and night. 



I got into a nice little corner the other day, and obtained insects 

 as fast as I could box them, but had to discontinue for want of boxes ; 

 they consisted of about 25 species, one being a large specimen of a 



