Vol. XXVli] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 67 



Observations on the Habits of Catocala titania Dodge 



(Lepid.). 

 By ERNST SCHWARZ, St. Louis, Mo. 



July, 1913, offered me the first chance to see Catocala 

 titania in its natural environment. It was on the 4th and 5th 

 of that month when I was so fortunate as to take four speci- 

 mens of this species. All were quite worn, which would indi- 

 cate that they must have been on the wing for some time. 



On June 7th, 1914, I happened upon a tract of woods, of 

 about 20 acres, located in the Mississippi bottom, consisting 

 chiefly of water elm, hawthorn and honey locust, with no un- 

 derbrush. As the place was used for pasturage the lower 

 branches of the hawthorn, Crataegits crus-galli, had been trim- 

 med a few years ago, so as not to interfere with the grazing 

 of the cattle. It occurred to me that such a place was the 

 proper environment for titania. After a careful search that 

 day I was disappointed, but I captured a fresh specimen of 

 C. insolabilis. 



The next day, June 8th, 9 A. M., found me in the same 

 place. The weather conditions were not promising, as the 

 night had been cool with a northern breeze. Searching every 

 hawthorn, I at last succeeded in locating a specimen ; however, 

 not in plain view, but below the surface of the ground, on 

 the trunk of a hawthorn where the dry weather had con- 

 tracted the gumbo soil, leaving a crack of about an inch and 

 a half. Blocking off with paper both sides of the crack, then 

 placing the cyanide jar above the space left open. I expected 

 the specimen to become alarmed, but it gave no sign of life. 

 After a few minutes' impatient waiting I tickled it with a 

 blade of grass, when suddenly the moth responded, full of 

 life, trying to escape, but it was mine, for I had successfully 

 covered the jar when it had entered. Thus I made my first 

 capture of a perfect Catocala titania. 



On June loth I captured four, on the nth five, in a 

 similar manner. The night from the nth to the I2th was 

 warm with a southern breeze. On this day titania was to be 



