The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-03-22
INSECTS IN AUSTRALIA.
Nearly Ten Thousand Species HIVE
Been Discovered on the
Great Island.

Prof. Darwin once described Aus
tralia as the naturalist's paradise. and
certainly it presents an ever-fresh and
ineXhaustible field for the stud of
the various branches of natural his
tory. 1t is at once the newest and
oldest country in the world, abound
ing with forms of animal life not to
be found elsewhere. The insect fauna
Is extremely large. The characteris-
tics of the numerous beetles, flies,
wasps, butterflies, moths and other
kinds of insects are so marked that
European and American experts at
once recognize a specimen from Aus
tralia. Insects with a worldwide
range are comparatively rare in New
South Wales and other portions of
Australia, though there are couple
of European moths, deiopeia pulchelia
and daneis erippus, which are COM
mon everywhere. The distribution of
insects is affected by that of plants
In the semitropical parts of New
South Wales there is semitropical
insect fauna, but where the semi
tropical vegetation has become eX-
tended beyond semitropical geograph-
icai limits, there are found also the
usual semitropical insects. In several
places insects found associated with
some particular kind of plant in one
locality will be met with upon some
kindred form of vegetation in an
other. Thus the peculiar beetle liv-
ing on the leaves of the Queensland
bottle tree are found feeding on the
currajong at Wagga Wagga, in New
South Wales.
The Australian insect fauna is es-
timated at 10000 species, but it is be-
lieved that the actual number is con-
siderably greater OF these the great
est variety is to be found in New
South Wales, the scientific collections
formed in Sydney and elsewhere be-
ing of singular attractiveness and in
terest. In the vicinity of streams
may be found large and beautiful
dragon flies, often of considerable
size; while everywhere during the
warmer months of the year the cease
less hum of the cigale reminds the
traveller of a similar insect expert
ence in Italy. Native honey bees are
plentiful in many places and are cas-
lily recognizable by their small size,
being little larger than the common
house fly. Mosquitoes are practically
unknown in the dry interior. but their
place is taken by the sand fly, an
equally mischievous insect There are
spiders of all sizes a few being poi
Sonous. but their webs are generally
of a most fanciful character. The
splendid appearance of some of the
butterflies rivals that of the most
gorgeous insects found in South
American forests. \ large butterfly
knows as the ornithoptera richmon-
diana has wings magniticcntly marked
with gold, green and velvet black.
Most of these lovely insects are found
in the damp. moist rivers of the New
South Wales coast.
Much attention has been given to
the character of the colonial insect
fauna by the Linnean society of New
South Wales. and the Macleay collec-
zion. now in the Sydney university, is
one Of the finest and most complete
in existence. For those who wish TO
become acquainted with the insect
fauna of the colony there exist
abundant facilities for reaching the
most favored localities, and couple
of months will suffice to form collec-
ton which would constitute a valu-
able addition to any European or
American Iouseum.-Chicago Chron'
;o1o