146 The Scottish Naturalist. 



and in shade of colour, and is generally distributed. It is 

 curious how variable the Tcenioca7?ipce are in their behaviour as 

 regards light. I think it depends partly on the brightness or 

 darkness of the night, and partly on the time of night that you visit 

 the sallows. I have generally observed that if you shake them 

 early the moths rise very soon from the sheet, and on rising return 

 immediately to their unfinished supper, whereas if you give 

 them time to have a good feed they remain longer quiet on the 

 sheet, and on rising fly at the light. The last few nights I have 

 gone out (April 5, 6, 7, 8, 1877,) the nights have been dark, 

 and we have started about 9.15. p.m., and the Tceniocaffipce 

 {s tab His ^ instabilis, gothica, and criida) have behaved as if we 

 had covered ourselves with some very attractive bait, swarming 

 all over us, as we knelt on the ground, covering our lamps, 

 clothing, face, hands, and hair, like hiving bees. The difficulty 

 is to get away from them, the only way being to " douse the 

 glim " and bolt through the bushes. Stabilis and cruda are 

 the most persistent, gothica and i?istabilis making a few bold 

 rushes and then off. 



Orthosia upsilon. — Rare. I have one specimen taken at 

 sugar in my garden in July, 187 1. I have not seen it since. 

 The larva has been found not far beyond the western boundary 

 of the district. 



O. lota. — Rare. The specimens I have were taken at sugar. 



O. macilenta. — Not uncommon at sugar, some seasons even 

 plentiful when it does occur. In 1872 I did not see a single 

 specimen. 



Aiichocelis rufina. — Mr. Herd tells me this insect is common 

 some seasons; but as I am often absent at the time of year that 

 it occurs, I have never seen it in plenty, indeed quite the 

 contrary. 



A. lunosa. — Rare. At least we have never taken many 

 specimens, pcssibly we have not found out how to look for them. 



Orrhodia vaccinii. — Abundant in most seasons, although in 

 1872 it was scarcely to be seen here. We have several varieties, 

 seemingly the three that are mentioned by Dr. Staudinger in 

 his catalogue. I have no doubt that this and others of the 

 hybernating insects find food of some sort in the resinous 

 exudations from the foliage of evergreen trees, such as spruce, 

 Scots fir, and the cupressi. I have noticed several of the 

 lepidoptera in the bright calm frosty moonlight nights after the 

 new year, vaccinii among the number, flying about and settling 



