CURKENT NOTES. 131 



of the finest collections of Lepidoptera that had ever come under the 

 hammer, both as to the condition of specimens and the excellence of 

 the setting. There were, however, no localities given and no attempt 

 to name the various aberrations. The result of the sale, therefore, 

 from a monetary point of view, must be considered most unsatis- 

 factory, scarcely a single lot fetching anything like a fair or even 

 moderate price. A poor and small specimen of Chnjsopluinm dispar 

 went for 13/- ; G bred Deileplula ;/alii for 22/- ; 5 .S'csm siiltci/i.fonni.s 

 and others for 7/- ; G Nula ccntonalis, 21/-, another similar lot, 22/- ; 

 2 dark aberrations of Arctia caia and one with yellow hind- wings 

 (with IT other specimens), 4/6 ; a pair of Laelia cuowsa, 10/- ; G fine 

 bred I'/torudcamasmara'/daria (with 19 other specimens), 7/- ; 12 Psodos 

 trepidaria and 1 Boletohia fulujinaria (from ^Vellman), 9/- ; 3 Cidaria 

 reticulata, 7/-, and three other lots of 2 each, 10/-, 17/-, and 18/- respec- 

 tively ; 2 Xi/Uiia '•(»ifuniiis, 10/-. Large lots of perfectly set Tineids, 

 mostly bred, from 150 to 200 in number, sold for 4/- and 5/- per lot, the 

 highest being 42/-, for the Argresthias, and the Coleophorids 20/-, 

 35/-, 11/-, 24/-, 27/-, G/-, 42/-, 12/-, per lot ; whilst the Nepticulids 

 produced 25/-, 18/-, 45/-, 18/-, 35/-, 50/-, and 55/- per lot. A 

 40-drawer cabinet produced but £15, and a 20-drawer cabinet sold for 

 5 guineas. Altogether the result must prove most disappointing 

 to the vendor. 



:il^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Thecla w-albuji. — Eyes versus stick. — I would add one more 

 plea to that published, ante pp. 110-111 : — Will lepidopterists cease 

 using the stick when working for larvte of Thecla w-albiun .' Against 

 "beating," when such is necessary, I have not one word to say, but 

 in the case of the insect in question, it is absolutely unnecessary — nay 

 more, 1 will use my eyes and find twu pupje or larvte for every one found 

 by the beater. Further, I will search a tree to a height of, at least, 

 14 feet (and a " beater " cannot reach that distance), and scan the 

 same quite as quickly as he of the stick completes the circuit, and as 

 I look much higher than he reaches, consequently I cover more space. 

 if too high, " beating " secures none, though they are on the tree. 

 The beater will probably kill or injure some of his pupaa, while 1 shall 

 neither waste life nor endanger it. I imagine someone will be saying 

 ere this — Yes, but how do you do it? When you know the locality pretty 

 definitely, stand under the outer edge of the lower branches of the 

 wych elm, look up, and there, when you have found the right tree, 

 you will see what appears to be a beetle resting on the underside of 

 the leaf, pull down the branch with your stick, and you have secured 

 a pupa. When the sun is shining, you may even see the shadow of 

 the pupa through the leaf, when it has pupated on the upper instead 

 of the lower side of the leaf, which, however, it rarely does. You will 

 be astonished to find how a very little practice will make you quite an 

 adept at finding them. Now I know the locality, I can get about a 

 score of pupse in an hour if I want them. 1 never beat for the larvaB 

 or pupae, 1 find both by searching. I never trouble to take specimens 

 on the wing, they are, as a rule, not nearly equal to bred ones. From 

 what 1 have said it will be seen that beating is absolutely unnecessary. 

 (Should this, on being printed, raise the ire or contempt of a number 



