XX 
INTRODUCTION. 
ground light yellow, ftriped oblique -tranfverfely, 
with Itripes of pale celeftial blue, the ends of them 
adorned with little eyes encircled with the fined: 
blue and crimfon, w r hich reprefented a very brilliant 
rofary. But thofe which were the moft numerous 
were as white as fnow, their wings large, their ends 
lightly crenated and ciliated, forming a fringed bor- 
der, faintly marked with little black crefcents, their 
points downward, with a duller of little brilliant 
orbs of blue and crimfon, on the nether wings near 
the body; the numbers were incredible, and there 
feemed to be fcarcely a flower for each fly, multi- 
tudinous as they were, befides clouds of them hover- 
ing over the mellifluous groves. Befides thefe pa- 
piles, a variety of other infeCts come in for a fhare, 
particularly feveral fpecies of bees. 
As I was gathering fpecimens of flowers from the 
fhrubs, I was greatly furprifed at the fudden ap- 
pearance of a remarkably large fpider on a leaf, 
of the genus Araneus fallens : at light of me he 
boldly faced about, and raifed himfelf up, as if ready 
to fpring upon me; his body was about the fize of 
sl pigeon's egg, of a buff colour, which, with his 
legs, were covered with fhort filky hair ; on the top 
of the abdomen was a round red fpot or ocelle en- 
circled with black. After I had recovered from the 
furprife, obferving that the wary hunter had retired 
under cover, I drew near again, and prefently dis- 
covered that I had furprifed him on predatory at- 
tempts againft the infeCt tribes. I was therefore 
determined to watch his proceedings. I foon no- 
ticed that the objeCt of his wi flies was a large fat 
bomble bee (apis bombylicus), that was vifiting the 
flowers, and piercing their nectariferous tubes : this 
.cunning intrepid hunter conducted his fubtil ap- 
? 
roaches with the circumfpeSion and peneverance 
