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104 
THE GARDENERS’ AND NATURALISTS’ CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER. 
one has once established his right to a particular spot, 
he allows of no intruders, fiercely attacking all that dare 
to invade his territory. His animosity is principally 
directed against those of his own species.—H. TV. 
Entomology.— The decreasing temperature of the 
season has a visible effect on the insect tribes, the num¬ 
ber of species of which is now greatly diminished. 
Some of the more hardy species of Butterflies still, how¬ 
ever, impart a charm to the scene, the Dahlia, and 
especially the China Aster, attracting different species 
of Vanessa, such as the Peacock (F Id), the small 
Tortoise-shell (F. urticce), and especially the Bed Ad¬ 
miral (F Atalanta ), which is also extremely partial to 
the flowers of the Ivy. The small Heath Butterfly 
(Hipparchia Pamphilm) and the wall Butterfly ( Megcera ) 
still frequent heaths and lanes, and the Humming-bird 
Hawk Moth is again seen in gardens at the close of the 
month, as well as its gigantic relative the Convolvulus 
Hawk Moth, which looks more like a small bird than 
an insect whilst hovering over some long-tuhed flower, 
into which it thrusts its singularly elongated spiral 
tongue, which is a couple of inches in length. The 
little Vapourer Moth (Orgyia cmtiqua) may also now be 
seen flitting about in the sunshine, even frequenting 
the streets and squares of the Metropolis. The odd 
English name of this species is very expressive of its 
curious flight, or, to speak more properly, of that of the 
male, for the female is a large, sluggish, wingless crea¬ 
ture (or rather with the merest rudiments of wings), 
which, after quitting the chrysalis state, never travels 
further than the outside of her cocoon on which she 
deposits her eggs, the Caterpillars hatched from which 
in the following spring are some of the gardener’s worst 
enemies, feeding upon the leaves of fruit-trees. 
Many species of Hoctuidse, and especially of Tortri- 
cidse, are also now to he met with in woods and hedges, 
and are to he obtained by beating the underwood and 
hedges with a stick into the collecting net; and it is 
during this month that the last general brood of Cater¬ 
pillars is to be found, each in its different habitat. The 
plan of laying down a sheet under trees, and then heat¬ 
ing the houghs, must he resorted to for collecting these 
caterpillars, some of which remain in this state until the 
following spring, being more difficult to rear, but the 
greater part go into the chrysalis state before the ap¬ 
proach of winter ; many of these burrow into the earth 
at the foot of the breeding cage, which must he kept 
moist. The Caterpillar of the great Death’s-head Moth 
is also now to he met with upon Potatoes, as well as 
upon the Jasmine. It is a very beautiful creature, 
being of a delicate green colour with lilac stripes down 
the sides of the body ; when full grown it is as large 
as a man’s finger, and is often foimd by the market- 
gardeners’ labourers, who regard it as some strange 
monster, the discovery of which is often recorded in 
the local newspapers. 
Amongst the Beetles several species of Carahidse 
are now to he found in Corn-fields, running about the 
footpaths. Amongst these Zahrus gihhus is one of the 
most interesting, from its habit of ascending the stems 
of Com, and feeding on the young ears at an earlier 
p riod of the season. The larvae also of this insect, 
upon the authority of Germar and other German natu¬ 
ralists, feed during the night upon the young shoots of 
the Wheat, occasionally doing great mischief, as in the 
instance recorded by Germar, where 230 acres of Wheat, 
in the canton of Seeburg, near Halle, were destroyed by 
it. These larvae are hatched from eggs deposited, a 
short time previously, in the ground by the female, and 
during the day they were observed to bury themselves 
in the earth several inches deep; they remain about three 
years in the larvae state, and attain the full size in 
June, when they form for themselves an oval cavity in 
the earth, sometimes two feet deep, in which they be¬ 
come pupae, appearing in the perfect state in the space 
of a month. 
A considerable number of Lady-hirds ( Coccinel - 
lidce) may now he observed, often entering our apart¬ 
ments, and seeking some secure dark corner in which 
they may pass the winter. The great services they 
perform in destroying myriads of Plant-lice ( Aphides ) 
ought to insure them shelter and protection. 
This is also the chief season for the interesting 
species of insects known under the common name of 
Grasshoppers, hut which belong to two differen milies, 
independently of that of the Crickets (Aclietidoe ). All 
these insects possess, in addition to their wonderful 
powders of leaping (which are effected by means of their 
long and very strong hind-legs), the faculty of pro¬ 
ducing sounds, differing in the different kinds, but 
which exists in the males alone. In the males of the 
House-cricket we perceive, near the base of one of the 
wing-covers, a thickened point, whence several strong 
veins diverge, forming an angle from this point, the 
strongest of which is regularly notched on the under¬ 
side like a file; when the wings are closed, this notched 
bar of one wing-cover rests obliquely on the upper side 
of a corresponding bar of the other wing-cover; and, 
when a tremulous motion is imparted to the wing- 
covers, the bars are rubbed together, producing a vibra¬ 
tion which is communicated to the other parts of the 
wing-covers, which, being divided into a number of 
irregular spaces, have each a distinct vibration, accom¬ 
panied by a separate sound, which collectively forms the 
stridulation or chirping so well known. 
This is the mode in which the sound is also pro¬ 
duced in the Grasshoppers with long antennae ( Gryl - 
lidce), except that the areas of the base of the wing- 
covers are larger, and covered with a delicate tail-like 
membrane. In the more numerous tribes of Grass¬ 
hoppers with short antennas, (belonging to the same 
family as the destructive Locusts of the East, Locus- 
tidce ), the powers of stridulation are performed by the 
motion of the hind-thighs, either conjointly or alter¬ 
nately rubbing against the sides of the wing-covers, 
the insect resting on its four fore-legs, the veins of the 
wing-covers being considerably elevated, so as to he 
easily acted upon by the rugose inner edge of the thigh. 
Some species may he perceived occasionally to execute 
this movement without producing any sound perceptible 
to our ears, hut which M. Goureau thinks may still be 
perceptible to their companions. Most of the species of 
the family have, moreover, on each side of the body, 
near the base of the abdomen, a large cavity, covered 
with a very delicate white membrane, which Latreille 
considered was also a portion of the apparatus for pro¬ 
ducing the sound. 
The object of all this music is the calling of the 
females. It is kept up till late in the evening, espe¬ 
cially by the large green Grasshopper (Gryllus viridis- 
simus ), by far the largest species in this country. 
“ So chirps the Grasshopper one good-night carol more : 
He is an evening reveller, who makes 
His life an infancy, and sings his fill.” 
Childe Harold. 
In addition to the Bee-like Helophili, which now 
frequent the autumnal flowers in great quantities, the 
order of Dipterous insects (two-winged flies) affords a 
very troublesome species at this season of the year, 
namely, the Stomoxys irritares—a fly so like the com¬ 
mon domestic fly that an inexperienced observer would 
pronounce them identical. The Stomoxys, however, 
has the front of the head furnished with a horny, very 
slender, elongated proboscis, which it thrusts into our 
flesh without fear, and woe he to the gourmand who 
should fall asleep over his glass of wine in an apart¬ 
ment where these insects occur. He will he sure to he 
assaulted by these little blood-thirsty creatures, clothes 
forming no defence against their attacks. J. 0. TV. 
