44 The Scottish Naturalist. 



hovering over verbena blossom in my garden, on the evening 

 of the 2nd of September 1875. This is the only record I know 

 of this fine insect from Moncreiffe, although I have another 

 specimen taken in the immediate neighbourhood. 



Deilephila Galti. — The only specimen which I know to have 

 been taken within the bounds comprised in this paper, was 

 captured by myself, on the evening of the 25th of June 1876, 

 flying at Rhododendron blossom, at the foot of Moncreiffe Hill. 

 I did not note the exact time, but it had become so dark that 

 I had lighted my lantern. My attention was suddenly attracted 

 by a sound which I at first attributed to the humming sound 

 which a steam engine sometimes makes, and which I thought 

 proceeded from one on a neighbouring railway. I became 

 aware, however, that it was not so far distant, and on turning 

 round my lantern, I beheld a splendid specimen of D. Galii 

 busily employed at the blossoms of a Rhododendron bush, a 

 few yards from me. It took no notice of the light, and I made 

 a careful and deliberate sweep at it with my net, which I turned 

 over and placed on the ground. The sound suddenly ceased, 

 and on first examining my net, nothing was to be seen. My 

 heart beat almost as loudly as my quarry had hummed. I took 

 hold of the tail of the net and turned it over, when, to my de- 

 light, I discovered D. Galii close up to the top of the hoop 

 under the stick, evidently having scuttled up as far as he could 

 in his endeavour to escape. Fortunately I had a pocket cyanide 

 bottle with me, plaster of Paris being run in on the top of the 

 cyanide, so that there were no loose fragments to rattle about 

 inside. I mention this as a hint to entomologists who prefer 

 the cyanide loose, as had I used it in that form this splendid 

 specimen would no doubt have been spoiled. As it was, how- 

 ever, 1 inserted my arm, bottle in hand, under the net, taking 

 care to lift the bag of the net gently towards the lantern which 

 I had placed on the ground, got the mouth of the bottle in 

 front of my captive, into which he wriggled in his attempt to 

 obtain his liberty. As the bottle was long enough to hold him, 

 but not wide enough to allow him to use his wings, he was fairly 

 wedged, and in a very short time ceased to struggle. I took 

 him home, and with a little careful manipulation extracted him 

 from his prison, placed him in a larger Cyanide bottle, and now 

 he graces my cabinet, as perfect a specimen as I could wish to 

 see. I am sorry to say I did not think of this plan when 

 I captured the -S. Convolvtili above-mentioned, but carried 



