76 A. E. GIBBS — NOTES ON LEPIDOPTEEA 



larvse from poplars, and of Acronyda leporina he found twelve larvae 

 on birch. Altogether Mr. Spencer has been very successful, and 

 his list includes five species which so far as our record goes are 

 new to the county. They are, Agrotis puta, Uadena dissimilis, 

 Selenia illustraria (tefralunarta), Cheimatohia horeata, and Euphi- 

 thecia minutata. Mr. Spencer is to be congratulated on this result 

 of his labours. 



In Mr. Heaton's list, which includes many species taken by Mr. 

 Wiggs, I find Dicranura furcula, D. hifida, Notodonta ziczac, Peclura 

 monacha, Detnas coryli, Acronycta aceris, A. megacephala, Apamea 

 ophiogramma, Agrotis saucia, Panolis piniperda, Nyssia hispidaria, 

 and Geometra papilionaria. His list contains 252 species. 



Last year I briefly reported the capture of the beautiful footman 

 moth {Deiopeia pidchella) at East Barnet. Being a rare insect 

 and a species new to Hertfordshire, I took an opportunity of 

 going to East Barnet to see it. The moth is in the small 

 collection belonging to the Boys' Farm Home, and it was very 

 courteously shown to me by Mr. John Bowden, the master. It 

 is undoubtedly a specimen of Deiopeia p>ulcheUa, but is unfortu- 

 nately rather badly set. Mr. Riihl, the schoolmaster, captured it, 

 in 1892, on the railway-bank near Oakleigh Park Station, and just 

 within the county boundary. Although a search has been made, 

 no other specimens have been seen. My visit to East Bamet 

 enabled me to inspect two small but interesting collections, one at 

 the Home above referred to, and the other in the possession of 

 Colonel Gillum, of Church Hill House. Through the kindness of 

 Colonel Gillum I have been able to make a list of his insects, 

 captured at East Barnet, and shall enter them in our Eecord Book. 

 They include specimens of Lyemna argiolus, Bomhyx castrensis, 

 Ellopia prosapiaria {fasciaria) taken by Colonel Gillum in one of 

 the hedges on Church Farm, Choerocampa porcellus, Spilosoma fuli- 

 ginosa, Arctia villica, Chesias spartiata, and other rare insects. The 

 collection at the Boys' Farm Home also contains some uncommon 

 species, such as Psihira monacha^ bred from larvae taken locally, 

 SpJiinx co7ivolvuli, and Notodonta dictceoides. Many of the insects 

 were captured by the boys, who are wisely encouraged to spend 

 their leisure in pursuits of this kind. 



BUTTERFLIES. 



The species of butterflies generally reputed to be natives of 

 Britain number 65, of which no less than 46 have been recorded by 

 difi'erent observers as occurring in Hertfordshire. The remaining 

 19 are extinct, rare, or local species, the majority of which, it may 

 safely be predicted, will never be seen flying within our borders, 

 though there are one or two species which we may hope will some 

 day be entered in our County list. Twenty-six species have been 

 taken by Colonel Gillum, at East Barnet ; by Mr. S. H. Spencer, 

 jun., at Watford; by Mr. N. Heaton in the same neighbourhood; 

 and by your Eecorder ; but though the number happens to be the 

 same in each case, the lists of species are not exactly identical. 



