204 THE entomologist's record. 



:ig^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Micros and mould at Ipswich. — Last April I gathered a number 

 of plants for my herbarium, and among them a few shoots, which at 

 the time were put down as the universal I'runns sjrinosa, but, upon 

 returning after an absence of some weeks, I was disappointed to hud 

 that this (among other specimens) had become mouldy through neg- 

 lectful drying. What was my surprise, however, upon finding that in 

 the midst of a mass of the fungus, were contentedly feeding upon the 

 shrivelled leaves, several grey caterpillars with black spots, that must 

 have been Ijrought home in the egg state. I think there is no doubt 

 that these were the larvae of Yponomeuta 2)adellus, which is a quite 

 common insect in Suffolk, and the sloe was probably the bird cherry 

 {I'runns j^adffs), upon which, as well as hawthorn and apple, the 

 larvtB subsist, as Mr. Shield points out in " Practical Hints." Not 

 only did the larvit; appear quite at ease in their uncongenial surround- 

 ings, but they had very nearly attained maturity, and must ere long have 

 been contemplating the pupal condition. — Claude Morley, F.E.S. 



Notes op the season. — Wigfownakire. — So far the season here 

 has not been a very good one. On the moors I have taken some sixty 

 larvai of LasioaoiijKi qiiercus var. callunae. I have also captured 

 Macroglosna hombijliformis (the narrow-bordered species), the first 

 record for the species from this district. A female Saturnia pavonla, 

 with the normally pale markings quite red, has also been captured. 

 Melaivqjpe hastata is fairly common, and Coenonyiii^jha tipkuu 

 shows also very considerable variation hereabouts. — Koger S. Gordon, 

 Corsemalzie, Whauphill, Wigtownshire, N.B. June 24th, 181)8. 



Attacus ricini in Lombardy. — In the last week of May (18U8) 

 I was walking along the high road from Cornuda to Bassano, in Vene- 

 tian Lombardy, and noticed a Bondjycid cocoon hanging from a sprig 

 in a thin hedge, where willow and ailantlms were growing. On search- 

 ing further I found 18 cocoons, containing pupte, one of which produced 

 a moth yesterday. I thought it was Attacus ci/nthia, but Colonel 

 Swinhoe, to whom I described it, says it must be A. ricini, its abdomen 

 being garnished with rings of white tufts. I have bought the pupa of 

 this insect under the name of A. cy)ithia, and rather think that is 

 the name it usually goes by in trade. It is not at all likely that any 

 entomologist lives in this very rural district. But no doubt endea- 

 vours have been made, during the last half century, to utilise this 

 insect for silk j^roducing in Italy, and it looks as if it had naturalised 

 itself there. The insect is not mentioned in Hott'mann as European. 

 Any information about its place of origin and importations into Europe 

 would be interesting. I have no books of reference at hand. — F. 

 Merripield, F.E.S. June 24th, 1898. 



Lepidoptera captured in the Orkney Islands. — It may be well 

 to put on record the species of Lepidoptera that I have captured in 

 the Orkney Islands during the last two or three years. There is a 

 much more complete list published, I know, in The tJutoiiialogist, i^os. 2 

 and 4, 1888, but the species I have obtained may be of service, in 

 some cases, as confirmation of previous records. The species I have 

 obtained are as follows : Papilionides. — Pieris brassicae, P. rapae, 

 Pyrameis atalanta, Coenonympha tiphon, and Polyommatus icarus, all 

 common. Sphingides. — Achcrontia atropos (one). Hepialides. — 



