190 THE entomologist's record. 



Riinricia [Chri/.<<o]ihanus) pldaeas, with var. mieffii of Heodes virgaureae. 

 It was in this meadow that we spent most of our time. Through it 

 runs the little torrent which we had followed right up to its source 

 above Pajares; on the north side are steep slopes through which 

 tunnels its way the line down to the coast ; the passing trains come 

 gasping out of the hole in the hill, gather in as much sunlight and 

 pure air as they can as they pass above our meadow, and then plunge 

 like frightened blind-worms into a second gaping hole ; they disturb 

 the absolute calm of the spot for a moment, but leave behind them 

 an impression of sadness and thankfulness, thankfulness for the 

 peaceful calm, of which we are now a part, sadness to think that we 

 too soon must plunge into the hillside depths and roll down, slowly 

 but all too fast, to a world of toil and moil. The small skipper Thi/- 

 melieus acteon was common enough here, and indeed all along the road- 

 side, in the ditch. Here, too, as at Pajares, I took a single Piirijus 

 jtroto. KpiiiepJu'lti jiirtina (janira) var. hisjtatla was abundant in the 

 meadows on the side of the stream. At a corner of the road we dis- 

 turbed each time we passed a number of Callinwrpha quadriptuictaria, 

 the same form that we find here in Switzerland or in England, but 

 so bright and fresh that I could not resist papering a dozen or so. A 

 longish series of Plusia i/utta might have been made with a little 

 patience, but it was too annoying to plunge after a gutta and net a 

 (jamwa twenty times in the hour. In the same meadow I took three 

 Argynuis adijipe ab. deodoxa, and expect I might have taken plenty 

 more. Among the moths were Dianthoecia carpophaga var. capso- 

 phila"'-, Cilix glaiicata, J'^iidnisis feiiestrella, and Codona [Kphyra) orbi- 

 cular ia, and C. linear ia. 



Collecting Lepidoptera in England, Spring, 1915. 



By E. B. ASHBY, F.E.S. 



One great effect that the war will naturally have upon many 

 of us, who have in recent j^ears collected so much abroad, will be to 

 compel us — nolens volens — to throw ourselves again into the 

 study of the Entomology of our native country, with the result that 

 we shall probably not only have replenished our cabinets with fresh 

 specimens, but we shall have more carefully studied and differentiated 

 the spring and summer broods of our British butterflies. If this idea 

 has been generally carried out, the year 1915 can be said to have been 

 well spent from an entomological point of view. 



It was with this purpose in view, that after a little sport with the 

 males of Celastrma argialus in my own garden at Hounslow in April 

 and early May, I started, on May 22nd, for a nine days' hunt after 

 English spring butterflies in a part of western Surrey remote from 

 trains, holiday-makers and camps, however right and proper all those 

 things are at this time. Almost immediately after my arrival the 

 sun went in and I was prevented from catching more than single 

 specimens of Celastrina argiolas, Hesperia vialvae and an " emerald " 

 moth. However, I saw one Leptosia sinapis on the wing. 



Next morning, according to the manner of entomologists on the first 

 day of a holiday, I was up betimes, had an early breakfast and started 



* There is practically no difference in the genitalia of these two forms. See 

 Gen. Brit. Noct., F. N. Pierce, p. 63, pit. xxii.— H.J.T. 



