t. BiStORtATA AND t. CREfUSCULARlA IN THE NORTHERN COUNTIES. 195 



Tephrosia bistortata and T. crepuscularia in the Northern 

 Counties. 



1 ouly captured tliree speeiiucns of Tc/ihinsia crciiHsciildiiu 

 iu thu year 18!)(), although 1 searched for tlieni carefully. Tiie 

 species ouly occurs very sparmj,'ly iu this ueit^hbourhood. 1 captured a 

 dark aberratiou iu 18!)4. — W. Brooks, (}rau<^e Hall, Uotherhaui. 



Neither T. (■lepusrulariu (biumlidaiid) uor T. hisUntata [vrcpusiulaiin) 

 occurs iu my owu district, althouj^h 1 have takeu the former species at 

 Tliorue. Oue fact I liud difficulty iu gettiug over, if we are to consider the 

 two as forms of oue species, i.e., iu many woods iu the south of Euglaud 

 both forms occur, 7'. bistitrtata {ncpuscidaria) iu March aud April, aud 

 theu there is a distiuct iuterval before the appearauce of 7'. hixuidalaiia, 

 which ajjjjcars perfectly fresh iu May or early June. — G. T. Poiuirrr, 

 F.L.S., F.E.S., lluddcrstield. 



Mr. 0. T. Porritt, iu his List of Yorkshire Li'iddnidrra, })ublished lu 

 1883, says of this species, "of general occurrence," and gives the 

 following localities : — " Barusley,* Bishop's Wood,* Jiramhani, 

 Blubberiiouses, i^oucaster,* Huddcrsticld, Boutefi-act, Richmond, 

 Scarborough, Sheffield, Weutbridge (a very dark variety, G. T.), and 

 York." 1 have also takeu it iu the following additional localities : — 

 Edlingtou* aud Wheatley AVoods,* Doncaster ; Houghton Wood,* 

 Market Wcighton, Pocklington, Sledmere,* and at Streusall,* Sandburu,* 

 Knaptou, and Liugcroft, York ; whilst I know it occurs at Elviugtou,* 

 near Y^ork ; Thorue Woods, near Doncaster ; Hull,* Skipwith* aud 

 Drewtou Dale.* At those places which are marked * the ab. ilda- 

 merensis also occurs. Mr. Porritt further says of Ti'jdtmsia bistortata (irc- 

 jiHs'-idaria), in the List of Yorkshire Lepidojdera : " Is recorded from four 

 localities, but I believe is often confounded with T. biundnlaria, Bishop's 

 Wood (C.S.), Poutefract (B.H.), Scarborough (T.W.), Sheffield (A.D.)." 

 During the last twenty years I have collected most assiduously iu 

 a great many dillereut localities in Yorkshire, aud for the past five 

 years have kej)t a special look out for T. bistortata and T. crejiuscidaria, 

 and can say that I have never met with T. bistortata, uor any forms 

 which could easily be mistakeu for that species. I have also seen not 

 ouly all the principal Yorkshire collections, but also many little knowu 

 collections, aud those made many years ago by men who have long 

 since joined the majority, and in none of these collections have I seen 

 Yorkshire T. bistortata. Alany Yorkshire collectors do not believe in 

 the existence of York.shire 7". bistortata, or that it ever has occurred in 

 Yorkshu'c duriug the time they have collected. I have, therefore, no 

 hesitation iu stating that T. bistortata {i.e., a form similar to that taken 

 by Mr. Mason, at Clevedon, Somerset), does not occur iu Yorkshire; 

 aud I will go further than this, aud assert as a fact, that T. bistortata 

 does not occur in the North of England. AVritingou April 23rd, 18!Hj, 

 ^Ir. Tutt says : " I have a specimen which ]\Ir. Harrison sent me years 

 ago, with a number of T. biitiidularia, which I dare be sworn is the 

 earlier si)ecies, although we expect, in closely allied species, occasional 

 l)arallel variations, which this nuiy well be. Those who consider the 

 two insects to be oue aud the same species, must dchue the term 

 'species,' as they understand it, before they can expect their view to be 

 accepted." On October 3rd, 18!H), Mr. Tutt writes : " 1 have not the 

 slightest doubt that the s}tecies sent out by the Perth entomologists, 



