78 
THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 
has, after a day or two's sunshine^ melted a space round it of 
more than an inch from itself, so that it stands in a kind of 
tube of snow. Any dark- coloured object lying on the sur- 
face of snow^ will speedily wear a passage for itself to the 
ground^ on account of its power of receiving heat from the 
solar rays. 
C — Such situations are the resort of the few insects that 
are already stirring. See^ around this dead maple-stump are 
several of those serricorn beetles with soft, brown elytra, and 
pink thorax {Brach^/notus Bennettii). They eject from many 
parts of the body, when handled^ a white glutinous fluids 
which has a strong smell, and is perhaps intended as a de- 
fence. Here^ too, are little green CicadellcB, hopping about 
very briskly ; and the Muscidce are as busy as bees^ buzzing 
in the sunshine^ and rubbing their feet together^, and then off 
to another place : pioneers of the hosts that in a few weeks 
will make all nature alive with their gaiety. And here is 
a caterpillar of the Buff-leopard Moth^, covered with thick 
tufts of short hair,, tawny red in the middle, and black at 
each end of the body. It is one of the last caterpillars that 
crawl in autumn^ and one of the first that appear in spring. 
— This insect (Arctia Isabella) is called a rare species 
by Abbott, (speaking, however of Georgia,) who figures it 
on the Elephant's foot (Elepkanfopus Scabe?'), and mentions 
wild plantain^ corn, and peas, as its food. His figure of the 
caterpillar is bad^ as it does not give the idea of its hairiness. 
With us, common as it is^, I do not know its food ; I have 
often found it on the raspberry^ but could not get it to eat. 
Yonder is a fly, which, from the peculiar fluttering motion of 
its wings, I take to be four-winged ; probably it is either a 
moth or a Vhryganea : run and catch it ; it flies so slowly 
that you will have no difficulty. 
C. — I have it ; it is neuropterous, but it does not appear 
to be a Pliryganea^ as the wings are incumbent. 
