2 THK ENTOMOLOGIST S KECORD. 



have occurred have been moderately normal in their time of appear- 

 ance. Some counties — e.i/., the south-eastern — have been particu- 

 larly disappointing ; on the other hand, in the south-western counties, 

 some species, usually rare, have appeared in unusual profusion. From 

 various reports, the Scotch collectors have been very unfortunate. 



Among the butterflies there has been no special abundance of any 

 species. As in 1895, there have been records of a few autumnal speci- 

 mens of Colias cchma , but none of C. hyale — Dorset, Cornwall, Suffolk, 

 Norfolk, Essex, Hants, Kent, Somerset, and the Isle of Man being 

 among the favoured spots. A few autumnal Pi/ramcis eardui also ap- 

 peared — usually single individuals. Pieris daplidice has been recorded 

 as captured at Dover, and as seen in the neighbourhood of Heme 

 Bay. Tliymdicus actaeun appears to have abounded at Swanage ; and 

 Mr. Stockwell records Aporia cratat'i/i from Kent, "much scarcer, but 

 more widely distributed, and not so extremely local as last year." 

 Li/caeua arion occurred sparingly in the Cotswolds, more abundantly 

 in Cornwall, and Mr. Sheldon discovered a new locality for the 

 species in Devonshire. Many lepidopterists took an early summer 

 holiday in Cornwall, in order to obtain the insect, this year. I hear also 

 of McUtaea cin.via having been captured in the Isle of Wight, and I am 

 informed by Mr. Goss that the dark aberrations {stacnotcnia and 

 nu/rata) of Umeniti^ sib)/lla were again taken in considerable numbers 

 in the New Forest. In Ireland, Mr. Kane found a new locality for 

 j\tela)iipia.'i epipJiirni . 



Among the moths, fair work has been done. The discovery of 

 Plati/ptilia tcsftcradacti/la, taken at Clonbrock the previous summer, 

 stands first. Its larva feeds on Gnaphaliuui dioicmn. Mr. Meyrick 

 records Crambus rostellus from Eoss-shire. He treats his capture as 

 a variety of Cramhus perlellus, which, from the description given, it 

 may well be, as the latter applies exactly to a form of the latter 

 species brought from Lewis (Hebrides) a few years ago ; but the appli- 

 cation of the name of what is generally assumed to be a distinct 

 Alpine species, to this variety, is quite another matter. A fair number 

 of Sphingids have been captured, among others, Dfilcphila i/alii, 

 which appeared almost a month later than is usual when there is an 

 immigration, and these imagines were followed by very few larva:^ 

 Sphiu.r pinastri has not been recorded from Suffolk, but an odd one 

 appeared in the Rev. J. Tarbat's breeding-cage, much to that gentle- 

 man's surprise, last June, the pupa of which, he thinks, must have 

 come from the Weybridge district. Choerucampa celerio (a few soli- 

 tary specimens), Sjdnn.r conrolndi and Acherontia atropos (both com- 

 paratively rare) have also occurred. Dr. Chapman was fortunate in 

 obtaining pupne of Centra hicuspu, and, after many years' absence, and 

 apparent extinction, Porthesia chnjsorrhnca occurred again in moderate 

 abundance at Sheerness. In the early spring, the kindness of Mr. 

 Bankes in distributing eggs of Dasycampa ruhiginca resulted in the 

 appearance of a fair number of imagines this autumn ; whilst at 

 Penmaenmawr, Mr. Porritt obtained, in early spring, larva) of At/rutis 

 var. ashu-ortliii, and, later, turned up Acidalia contii/Haria. In Wicken 

 Fen, IhjdriUa paliistris occurred on June 5th and 7th. The Devon 

 coast, though, was the most prolific area this year. There, we under- 

 stand, three or four collectors made a great haul of Lcncania pntrcstwns, 

 L, alhipuncta, Caradrina amhiyiia, LapJujijma exii/ua and Pit/ii>sia 



