LEPIDOPTERA IN ROXBURGHSHIRE 163 



intently as if she had not spotted me. On my next move- 

 ment she dived noiselessly into the water and appeared 

 some sixty yards off right out in the open. I was so cold 

 and stiff that I could hardly wade ashore, but I was amply 

 rewarded by my glimpse at the habits of these beautiful 

 birds at their nest. 



On the morning of the 3<Dth there were three eggs in 

 the nest, and on the ist of May another egg was laid. On 

 each occasion I found fresh water lily leaves on the side of 

 the nest, but no trace of any withered ones ! Can they 

 have been used as food ? 



LEPIDOPTERA IN ROXBURGHSHIRE. 



By ADAM ELLIOT. 



As it might perhaps be of considerable interest to Entomo- 

 logists, those at any rate who give their attention to the order 

 of the Lepidoptera, to have authentic county lists of the species 

 occurring throughout the Scottish counties, as showing their 

 distribution, I have here noted the species of Lepidoptera I 

 have myself taken in Roxburghshire five species excepted : 

 four of these having been casually come upon by friends 

 and kindly given to me alive at the time of capture, and one, 

 viz. Colias edusa, several specimens of which were taken by 

 a friend in this district, and I have myself seen this species 

 on the wing in the western district of the county. The 

 bulk of the species noted have been taken in the perfect or 

 imago state, while a number in each group, and in the 

 division of the Micro-Lepidoptera, have been reared from 

 eggs or larvae. I may say that in every instance when I 

 have had the slightest doubt as to the correct identification 



o 



of species, the specimens have been seen, and their identi- 

 fication made or confirmed, by Mr. C. G. Barrett. It is 

 necessary, I think, in recording Lepidoptera, that the 

 specimens should themselves be in evidence, by being in 

 the collector's possession, otherwise the mere reports 

 of the capture of species frequently turn out unre- 



