OBSEBVED IN HEETFOBDSHIEE IN 1893. 83 



year, when sugar was a complete failure. There was a very fine 

 second broocl of Agrotis scgetum in the autumn, when he secured 

 a nice scries, and also took one specimen of A. saucia. Noctim 

 C-nigrum was plentiful, and of that also he took a good series. 

 He also captured specimens of Anchocelis lit lira, but A. lunosa he did 

 not see at all. Cerastis vaccinii and Scopelosoma satellifia were very 

 abundant, the latter being especially plentiful and fine. He took 

 a long series of Xanthia fulvago {per ago) and several specimens 

 of the variety fiavescens. He also secured X.. flavago (silago) and 

 a few specimens of X. gilvago. Phlogophora meticulosa has been 

 fairly common, and he was so fortunate as to take one specimen 

 of Colocampa vetusta. A friend of Mr. Cutts also took Eucliclia yni 

 and HeJiaca tenehrafa near by. My correspondent has done very 

 little with the geometers. Ilimera pennaria was common in the 

 larval form, and Mr. Cutts took many caterpillars of Hyhernia 

 defoliaria, which did not succeed with him. He let them go down 

 into peat-moss, which was probably too dry for them. From 

 some self-sown mullein plants in the garden Mr. Cutts took a good 

 many larvae of Cucullia verbasci, which are now emerging. 



^Mr. Dymond reports the chimney-sweeper moth {Atrata choero- 

 phyUata) to be common at East Barnet, and that last year it was 

 unusually abundant. Of this insect Mr. Dymond finds it difiicult 

 to capture specimens which are in any degree perfect, for after 

 it has been flying about for a day or two it loses the sooty blackness 

 of its wings. Mr. Pilbrow takes this moth annually, but only 

 finds it in one corner of a large field, which corner, about two 

 acres, is laid down with permanent grass. 



Mr. Dymond foixnd the larvas of the figure-of-eight moth 

 {Bilopa cceruleocephala) to be particularly abundant in the early 

 part of the year, but did not observe a corresponding increase 

 in the number of imagos in the autumn. He attributes this to 

 the fact that a large number of the larvse were "stung" by 

 ichneumons, for out of about fifty larvae which he took for breeding, 

 only about thirty resulted in imagos, the rest being the prey of 

 the parasite. Mr. Pilbrow also comments on the large number 

 of the larvae both of this insect and of Eriogaster lanestris, the 

 hedges in many places being nearly ruined by them. 



On April 23rd I took a number of larvae of Xanthia citrago 

 at Gorhambury. They were concealed in rolled or united leaves 

 of lime. They emerged in August, and proved to be rather light- 

 coloured varieties. Mr. Dymond took a few specimens of this moth 

 at sugar, and also about two dozen specimens of X. flavago. This 

 appears to have been a flavago year, that moth being commoner 

 than usual in most localities. Mr. Cutts also reports taking 

 X flavago, and Mr. Bow^-er writes : " Flavago was common 

 both last year and the year before : we do not as a nde take many 

 here." Mr. Dymond captured about a dozen specimens of Calymnia 

 diffinis at sugar, and found C. affinis to be common. Other insects 

 which Mr. Dymond reports to be commoner than usual last year 

 are : Euclidia mi, Agrotis segelimi, Noctua augur, Anchocelis litura, 



