The easy wain descends half built, then turns Sent up to heaven, your annual work complete HURDIS. About the 11th of August, the puffin (alca arctica) migrates. Priestholme, or Puffin's Island, about three quarters of a mile from the Isle of Anglesea, abounds with these birds; and their flocks, for multitude, may be compared to swarms of bees. In the middle of the month, the swift disappears, and probably migrates to more southern regions. Rooks begin to roost in their nest trees, and young broods of goldfinches (fringilla carduelis) appear; lapwings (tringa vanellus) and linnets (fringilla linota) congregate; the nuthatch chatters; and, towards the end of the month, the redbreast is again heard. At the beginning of August, melilot (trifolium officinale), rue (ruta graveolens), the water parsnip (sysimbrium nasturtium), horehound (marrubium vulgare), water-mint (mentha aquatica), the orpine (sedum telephium), and the gentiana amarella, have their flowers full blown. The purple blossoms of the meadow saffron (colchicum autumnale) now adorn the low moist lands. The number of plants in flower, however, is greatly lessened in August, those which bloomed in the former months running fast to seed. Yet, we are continually reminded of the bounty of our Creator; though the flowers of spring and the lovely rose are no more, the fruits of summer and of autumn now pour in their abundant stores. Heaths and commons are now in all their beauty; the flowers of the various species of heath (erica) covering them with a fine purple hue. Ferns also begin to flower, the commonest sort of which is the fern or brakes (polypodium filix-mas); but the female (pteris aquilina) is the most beautiful plant. Insects still continue to swarm; they sport in the sun from flower to flower, from fruit to fruit, and subsist themselves upon the superfluities of nature. The white-bordered butterfly (papilio antiopa) appears about the beginning of August, lives through the winter, and appears again in the spring, in company with papilio io, the peacock butterfly, &c. There is something very extraordinary in the periodical but irregular appearances of this species, edusa and cardui. They are plentiful all over the kingdom in some years; after which, antiopa in particular will not be seen by any one for eight or ten or more years, and then appear again in as great abundance as before. To suppose they come from the continent is an idle conjecture, because the English specimens are easily distinguished from all others by the superior whiteness of their borders. Perhaps, their eggs in this climate, like the seeds of some vegetables, may occasionally lie dormant for S several seasons, and not hatch, until some extraor dinary, but indiscovered coincidences awake them into active life'. Papilio antiopa was in great abundance in the year 1792; but scarcely a single specimen. has been seen since that time. P. cardui was common in 1808, but very scarce till 1818. P. edusa was common in the years 1808, 1811, and 1818; but, in some seasons, scarcely a single specimen has been observed. Above the sovereign oak, a sovereign skims, She draws from every flower, nor tries a floret twice. CRABBE. Some of the Chinese butterflies, called, in the language of the country, flying leaves,' have such shining colours and are so variegated, that they may be truly called 'flying flowers; and, indeed, they are always produced in the finest flower gardens. In their own bright Kathaian bowers, Sparkle such rainbow butterflies, LALLA ROOKH. The caterpillar of the death's-head, bee-tiger, jessamine-hawk, or potatoe-moth (sphinx atropos), is found about this time upon potatoes, artfully concealing itself in the daytime on those parts of the stems of the plants which are best covered with overshadowing leaves. They are sometimes found also upon green elder and jessamine. A specimen of this Haworth's Lepidoptera Britannica. rare and noble insect, taken in July 1818, is described as being about four inches long, yellow, with purple spots on the back, and purple streaks down the sides. It ate the tops of potatoes very greedily. It is the only insect of the lepidoptera order that has a voice. The harvest-bug (acarus ricinus), in this and the following month, proves a very troublesome and disagreeable insect, particularly in some of the southern counties of England. The best cure for the bite is hartshorn. Flies now abound, and torment both men and animals with their perpetual buzzing. Wasps and hornets become, in this and the succeeding month, very annoying to us in our rural walks. Another troublesome insect which abounds in August, is the tabanus pluvialis, sticking on the hands and legs, and, by piercing the skin with its proboscis, causing a painful inflammation. Cattle are severely exposed to its attacks, though the dragon fly (libellula), the beautiful insect that frequents the shaded ponds, bears the blame of the other's mischief, under the name of horse-stinger, but is perfectly harmless. The young naturalist would be much delighted in watching the progress of many water-insects' through their several transformations. The gnat (culex) is a good example. Their eggs will be found floating on the surface of stagnant water, or in that contained in a large tub; they are black, and in a congeries forming altogether a mass resembling a grain of corn flattened. These, when hatched by the heat of the sun, produce a small insect with a very large head and prominent eyes, a slender semi-transparent body, terminated by a forked tail. Their motion is by rapid twistings of the body. After a short time, these shed their skin, and become a black insect with a head and 'Many of these are fit subjects for the microscope; particularly the monoculus apus. See T.T. for 1817, p. 24%, and our last volume, pp. 156, 183. body bulb-like, and not so long a tail, in which the rudiments of the future wings can be perceived. Their motion is that of chiefly rising to the surface of the water by coiling themselves up like a ball, and, when disturbed, sinking by a jerking of the tail. In a few days, these are finally transformed into gnats, and sport in the sun, and live on the blood of animals, which they suck through a long proboscis pierced into the skin. The GNAT. When by the green-wood side, at summer eve, No guardian sylph, in golden panoply, Lifts the broad shield, and points the glittering spear. -I wake in horror, and dare sleep no more!' ROGERS. The common glow-worm, the little planet of the rural scene,' may be observed in abundance in the month of August, when the earth is almost as thickly spangled with them as the cope of heaven is with stars. The GLOW-WORM. Bright insect! that on humid leaves and grass |