198 A. E. GIBBS — LEPIDOPTEEA OBSEBVED IN HEETS. 



Eurymene dolohraria, and Amphydasis betidaria, the latter at rest 

 on a tree. Sugar at Radlett on June 8th, with a rather cold 

 wind blowing, yielded Thyatira batis, Mamestra anceps, Noctua 

 festiva^ Grammesia trigrammica (including a good dark variety), 

 Acronycta psi, Agrotis corticea, Miana fasciuncula^ etc. Thyatira 

 derasa came rather freely to sugar in the garden at The Hollies, 

 and at Sparrowswick, St. Albans. 



Sallow-beating. — Sallow in 1892 was not very productive. 

 Neither at Harpenden nor Bricket Wood did anything but the 

 commonest species reward our exertions, though at the latter place 

 we took larvae of Triph^na fimhria^ Noctua brunnea, etc., from which 

 good specimens were bred. In past years Tceniocampa populeti^ 

 T. gracilis, and T. mimosa have been taken at Bricket Wood. 



Larv^-beating. — Larvae-beating, by which is meant shaking 

 the caterpillars off the trees and bushes into an umbrella or on to a 

 newspaper spread on the ground, has in past years yielded Mr, 

 Arthur Lewis, at Bricket Wood, such insects as the canary- 

 shouldered thorn {^Eugonia alniaria) and the sprawler (Asteroscopus 

 sphinx), and he and I working together last year found the larvae 

 of the pui'ple hairstreak butterfly {Thecla qtiercus) fairly abundant 

 on the young oaks. The imago of this insect can be taken in most 

 of our woodlands almost every season. 



CoNCLirsioN-. — In conclusion, permit me to sincerely thank my 

 correspondents, who at very short notice have furnished me with 

 the data to compile my first annual entomological report. My 

 requests for information have been most readily responded to, and 

 I trust that in the present year I may be favoured with notes 

 from many observers. I shall be most happy to receive intima- 

 tions of the occurrence of rare insects, or any facts about butterflies 

 and moths that may be of interest. I shall also be glad to receive 

 from persons who pretend to no entomological knowledge, any 

 butterflies, moths, caterpillars, or pupae which may strike them as 

 being uncommon. Schoolboys who form collections of insects are 

 often able to secure day-flying species, which those of us who work 

 at night have very little chance of obtaining, and I shall be glad to 

 inspect the collections of such beginners, and to help them when 

 necessary to name their specimens. 



