192 The Scott is II Naturalist. 



on one occasion, and as I had no time for breeding, I placed her 

 on a tree-trunk near where I had seen the species flying on the 

 previous night. I passed the place in the evening and she 

 was still there. On returning home with my lantern a few 

 hours later, I found her in the embrace of a large slug, which 

 was making a hearty meal. He seemed to be holding on 

 *' astarn " to the lichen on the trunk, clasping the moth in 

 his arms as it were. His horns were drawn in and I could 

 hardly make out where his head had got to, but it appeared to 

 be buried in the thorax between the head and the fore-legs of 

 his prey. I poked him up in all sorts of ways, but he did not 

 take the slightest notice by moving in any way. 



Cleora lichenai'ia. — Common. Comes freely to light. The 

 larva appears here to prefer the lichen' on the oak to that on any 

 other tree. 



Boarmia repandata. — Common, and generally distributed ; 

 varies considerably in size and shade, so much so, that some- 

 times one can hardly believe the large, dark, richly-marked insect 

 to be the same as the small, insignificant, hght-coloured one. 

 We have nothing approaching to the banded variety. 



GnopJiGs obsciirata. — Common on the rocky faces in the higher 

 altitudes ; sometimes wanders down to light in the house. I 

 have never seen a light-coloured specimen. 



Dasydia obfuscata. — Locally common, and never appears to 

 quit the rocky faces on which it breeds and loves to rest. Varies 

 considerably in intensity of grey, but the males usually appear to 

 be the darkest. I have seen s])ecimens which I believed at the 

 time to be worn, and left undisturbed. I have since come to 

 think, however, that they were perfect, but inclined to albinoism. 



Geometra papilioiiaria. — This beautiful geometer is fairly com- 

 mon at Moncreiffe, from 30 feet up to 600 in certain localities. 

 The larvae may be obtained on birch, willow, and alder by beat- 

 ing. The imago I have found at rest on the heather under 

 birch-trees ; and in 1872 and 1873 it came frequently to light in 

 my study. Exposure to the light very soon causes the green to 

 fade into yellow ; but I have specimens, taken six years ago, 

 killed in a cyanide botde, dried on the boards in a dark but not 

 very close cupboard, which are as fresh as ever in my cabinet, 

 where they are placed with a moderate amount of camphor. I 

 find it is a good plan to open the drawers occasionally and give 

 insects a little air, and have known instances of moths which 

 were showing grease become cjuite clean in an hour's time, the 



