The Scottish Natiwalist. 115 



have supposed the whole of them long ago to have taken their 

 departure, when all the time there have been several pairs close 

 at hand, which we would never otherwise have observed. The 

 Fire-Crest (^. ignicapiUus, Cuv.) I have often searched for, and 

 though well acquainted with it, have never found it in any part 

 of the district ; but for all that, it may possibly be an occasional 

 visitant. 



52. Calamodyta phragmitis, Gray. (Sedge-Warbler.) 



Frequent among the reeds on the lower parts of the Tay and 

 the Earn, and on some of our loch sides, where in low, damp, 

 bushy places, the passer-by cannot fail to hear its perpetual 

 babbling, scolding notes, which go on all day long, and even 

 sometimes through the whole summer night. Another bird in- 

 habiting much the same sort of locality, only one specimen of 

 which has ever been noticed or obtained in the district (near 

 Methven), is the Grasshopper Warbler {Locustella aviciiia, Ray), 

 mentioned in the 'Scot. Nat.' of July 1878; but as no other 

 instance has occurred, I do not include it in this list. . 



{To be continued. ) 



Lepidoptera in the Spring of 1879. — Owing to the severity of the weather, 

 I had no opportunity of making my usual entomological observations in 

 January and February. When the first apparently genuine break in the storm 

 came with the first week of March, some of the early insects began to put in 

 an appearance. I noticed Phigalia pilosaria on March 2d, and for ten days 

 subsequent to that date it was freely distributed in this locality. Of Hybernia 

 leucophea7'ia I saw one specimen on March 3d, and have only noticed about 

 three specimens between that date and April 1st ; on April 24th, however, I took 

 a female off a birch trunk. It is usually abundant here. Owing to illness, I 

 made no observations in the spring of 1878 until May : but in 1877 I have 

 a record of these two insects on February 4th and 8th respectively. P. pilo- 

 saria appeared on February 2 in 1876, and in 1879 on January 31st, and lenco- 

 phearia on February 1 5th. Judging from the above dates, they are both affected 

 by the weather in their time of appearance ; but the former does not appear 

 to be diminished in number by the intense cold of this winter. I have ob- 

 served no difference in depth of colour, or otherwise, from the ordinary type 

 here. The cold has, however, evidently I'etarded their appearance in the 

 imago stage. 



The hybernated insects, as far as I have seen, have not suffered ; as on the 

 evening of March 7th, which was especially mild, I noticed a number of 

 DepressariiV. and of Gelechia humeralis swarming about a favourite Cupressus 

 in my garden, as also a few specimens of Cerosto?na radiatella. On March 31st 

 I took a specimen of Cymatophora fiavicornis at the back of Moncreiffe Hill, 

 where the snow still lay in places, and where, a fortnight before, it was from 



