CUCULLTA GNAPHALir. 291 



A careful study of the ordnance map at niD^ht convinced mc tliat if 

 C. gnaphalii was anywhere in the district, wliich by this time appeared 

 very dubious, it was at a place two stations further down the railway ; 

 accordingly, by the first train next morning I journeyed thither. 

 Stray plants of golden-rod by the wayside, soon after leaving the station, 

 looked promising, and, after walking several miles, I came across a wood 

 which had been cut a short time previously, and which was a perfect 

 sea of " the plant." Entering, the first patch examined contained a 

 larva, and a further search in the vicinity ])roduced three more ; another 

 portion of the same wood resulted in my finding a further four, and T 

 was thus able to at last consider myself toleral)ly successful. 



The eight larvic, with one afterwards found at Tilgate, resulted in 

 six cocoons, the other three ])eing infested with parasites, and from 

 these, in due course, four fine imagines emerged, two pupjii dying. 



During the present autumn I paid another visit to the re-discovered 

 locality, and thoroughly explored it. The season was a wonderful one 

 for C. aster is, almost every plant of golden-rod had a larva, and it would 

 have been possible to have obtained several hundreds or a thousand in the 

 wood; ('. gnaphaUi, however, was again very scarce, and the few larvas 

 I did obtain entailed some 20 hours' close search. 



It is curious how rare the larva is, even in its restricted locality, 

 and how local. It will occur year after year in the same woods, whilst 

 others around, to all appearance exactly similar, will not produce a 

 specimen. Again, it appears particularly attached to certain spots in a 

 wood, and if one larva be found it may be inferred that there are two or 

 three others in the immediate vicinity. It is very subject to parasites, 

 quite one-third of my specimens being infested, and very delicate in 

 confinement. From the above causes, less than 50 per cent, of imagines 

 reared seems the best result one can hope for in ordinary seasons ; if not 

 treated carefully and placed under very favourable conditions the per- 

 centage of deaths would probably be a very much higher one. 



Lepidoptera in Wigtonshire, 1898. 



By ROGER S. GORDON, F.E.S. 



The season of 1898, in "Wigtonshire, has been in some ways rather 

 disappointing. I did not commence work until April 21st, so was too 

 late for the sallows, altiiough, on that evening, I observed a few 

 Taeniocampa incertn, T. ffothica, T. stabilis and Pacltnobia 

 ruhricosa on the fast falling flowers. On April 22nd I collected 

 a number of larva? of < 'osmofriche potatoria, of various sizes, and 

 saw a few Ematurga atomaria among the heather. The next 

 few evenings were rather cold, but I worked the wild cherry blossom, 

 with a light, and found I'auagra pietraria ])lentiful, and several /'. 

 ruhricosa and T. gothica, but not a single T, gracilis was seen this 

 year. On May 1st, I saw the first Satiirnia pavonia-minor on the 

 wing on Whitedyke ^loor, and also found \'av\'-x. o^ Dasgcliira fasce- 

 lina ; on the 8th, freshly emerged Anarta mgrtiUi were boxed as they 

 sat drying their wings on the heather, whilst on the young heather a 

 num])er of IK fascelinn larvjy were observed moulting. The next day 

 a single Spilnsnmafuliginosa and a dark $ Amphidasys hetnlaria 

 emerged in the brceding-cagcs, whilst on the 10th I first saw llumia 



