48 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



The Clouded Yellow Butterfly (Colias edusa). — This pretty 

 insect reappeared during this Autumn in Galloway, after a character- 

 istic absence during four seasons. I saw one specimen near Newton 

 Stewart in Wigtownshire, and heard of others during the month of 

 September. — Herbert Maxwell. 



Notes on Crambus myellus, Hiibner. — Mr. William Herd (of 

 Scoonieburn, near Perth) and I having during the last few years 

 taken a good number of this hitherto rare Crambus, a few notes on 

 the habits of the species may not be without interest to some of the 

 readers of the " Annals of Scottish Natural History." 



The earliest record of its capture in Britain, so far as I can find 

 out, is one specimen said to have been taken "near Aberdeen," and 

 another " in Scotland," vide the " Entomologists' Annual " for 

 1869, p. 126. Probably this latter one is the specimen referred 

 to by Dr. Buchanan White in the "Entomologist," vol. xvi. p. 213, 

 as having been taken in Glen Tilt. Dr. White seems to have 

 secured the next ones, getting three at light in Braemar as mentioned 

 in the "Entomologists' Monthly Magazine," vol. viii. p. 70 ; while at 

 p. 113 of the same vol. Air. Warrington records its capture from 

 Rannoch. Mr. Herd was the next to fall in with it, taking two in 

 Glen Tilt in 1883. My first experience of the species was in 1885, 

 when, through the kindness of my friend, I collected with him on the 

 ground where he took the two just referred to, and on which occa- 

 sion we each got one specimen. Every year since, we have been 

 successful in taking other specimens ; the last few years more num- 

 erously when we have been fortunate enough to get favourable days 

 for our visits, so that now I possess a nice series, and have also been 

 able to spare a few specimens to some of my friends. During the 

 last two or three years it has again turned up near Aberdeen, and 

 probably will yet be found more widely distributed in Scotland. 



It is a very timid and retiring species. On a very warm day, 

 with strong sunshine, and without wind, it seems to fly pretty freely, 

 with a short, jerky flight, like all the Crambites ; on a dull day, how- 

 ever, it is impossible to get it to use its wings at all. Our mode 

 of working for it is to be on the ground as early in the day as 

 possible, and beat the pines and other fir-trees in which it delights 

 to rest, for it seems to fly most freely at night or early morning, and 

 then take shelter in these trees ; the least shake of the wind, how- 

 ever, dislodges it, and, falling to the ground, it will not in a dull day 

 rise again. Noticing a specimen fall out of a tree in passing gave 

 us our clue for searching for it ; and the majority of our examples 

 have been obtained in this way, very few having been taken during 

 flight. In beating, one has to keep a very sharp look-out, as this 

 beautiful insect usually just drops without a motion of the wings, 

 trusting, doubtless, to escape detection amid the shower of rubbish 

 which the beating-stick brings down out of a fir ; reaching the 



