NOTES ON COLLECTING. 8l 



larval state, but thoy arc difficult to rear ; the result in imagines was 

 very disappointing. I may here remark how very "spotty" insects 

 are at Kannoch. If it had not been for my friend's able guidance, I 

 should have had oven less to record. — A. IIoune, F.E.S., Ugic Bank, 

 Beaconsficid Eoad, Aberdeen, N.B. 



South- ttyst Scotland. — The season of 1897, in the west of Scotland, 

 was a very disappointing one ; especially the autumn months, when, 

 from the beginning of August till the end of the season, Lepidoptera 

 were very scarce and difficult to obtain. The spring produced Phiijalia 

 prdaria and JIi/h('rnia iiiajyinaria a little earlier than usual, as on 

 February 20th, I boxed ten specimens of the former in the Johnstone 

 Castle Woods, while $ s of the latter might have been taken plentifully 

 from the trunks of the oaks ; but very few ^ s were to be seen on the 

 wing in the evening ; a fine specimen of Asinopteri/x aescularia was also 

 captured. On March 8th, at the same place, I boxed a freshly 

 emerged C'.jlaricornis, yvhiht P. pcd aria and JI. iiiari/inaria yvevQ still in 

 evidence. Tonricodcs hi/emana was beginning to appear, but it simply 

 swarmed on the 20th. During April and May, I did very little out- 

 door collecting ; the evenings were wretchedly cold, and a strong east 

 wind prevailed during the greater part of both those months. I set, 

 however, a nice lot of Eupithccia helvetkata reared from larvic obtained 

 the previous autumn. The first specimen emerged on April 3rd, and the 

 last on May 23rd. On May 15th, I bred a fine full-sized specimen of 

 riusia bractea, the sole survivor of a large brood I had the previous year, 

 and which were carried successfully through the winter ; but immedi- 

 ately they commenced to feed up, mortality set in at an amazing rate 

 from diarrho3a (or some such cause), and my expectations at 

 rearing a nice series received a sudden check, when I found my- 

 self with a solitary larva doing duty to the fresh supply of food 

 (given as directed twice daily). Towards the end of the month, E. 

 pnlchcllata commenced to emerge in my breeding-cage, and a single 

 specimen of Drepana fakataria, on the 23rd. On that day I ran up to 

 Arrochar with the hope of obtaining a few Scopula decrepitaUs. The 

 day was fine and bright, but a cold east wind was sweeping the 

 hillside, and the result of my journey was one. June brought about a 

 desirable change, the climatic conditions being much more favourable 

 for collecting, and insects could then be taken in numbers. On the 

 12th I visited the Waas Hill, in Renfrewshire, with my friend Mr. 

 Stewart, of Kilbarchan. We each obtained some nice specimens of 

 Larcntia salicata, E. sati/rata var. calliinaria, C. nisticana, while 

 Ematunja atoinaiia and Eupithccia nanata were in abundance. Mr. 

 Stewart boxed a fine $ Satuniia pavonia, which was sunning itself on 

 the heather, A week later, at Gourock, I obtained a fine lot of Larcntia 

 salicata, and a few Corcmia fcrrui/ata. llcpialus rcllcda appeared at 

 Possil Marsh on the 22nd, where also Apamca basilinca, Xi/lojdiasia 

 rurca (some very dark forms), and Dicrorhampha hcrbosana, could be 

 taken abundantly. On the 22nd I revisited Gourock. PiVm napi and 

 Cucnonijinjiha panipliilus were very common, and a specimen of C/iri/so- 

 phanus plilacas was netted. C. fcmujata, E. nanata, and E. xatijrata were 

 still on the wing. Single specimens of A>nj)hidasi/s bctularia, lladcna 

 dcntina, Siiilosoina mcnthastri, and a couple of //. rcllcda were boxed 

 from walls. Mi.rodia .srhult^iana was common at dusk, as was also 

 Elacliista r/u/nc/iosportila, and one specimen of Cocci/.r racciniana was 

 captured. On the 26th, I had an afternoon at Bishopton, and took 



