228 [September, 



butterfly in the district is 'Erehia epiphron, which occurred at the end of June and 

 beginning; of July in thousands in lu'a.rly all dam]i swampy placos on the Brcadalbane 

 Mountains, at an elevation (according to the ordnance maps) of from 2000 to 3000 

 feet. In one locality, near Ben Lawers, I found them abundant as low down as 

 1650 feet, but as a rule they were only plentiful at a much greater elevation. Cceno- 

 nt/mpha ti/phon appears to bo very local in the neighboui-hood, as, with the exception 

 of a few stragglers taken flying with epiphron at 2500 feet, I found them, in 

 abundance, only in one peat bog or moss some miles to the west of Killin, at an 

 elevation of about 180() feet. Argynnis aglaia occurred sparingly in Glenlochy 

 and other valloyii, and I also saw it on the hills near Crianl.arich. A. seleiie was 

 •absent from the woods and mosses in the valleys, but occurred rather commonly on 

 the hill sides at from SOO to 1500 feet. Bombi/.v cnllunre was plentiful on tlie hill 

 sides, t lie males flying wildly about over the heather. Enimelesia blandiata occurred 

 freely about old walls and on rocks both in the valleys and at a great elevation, but 

 Larentin pectinitaria was much commoner, flying high up the mountain sides in 

 company with epiphron. Susiar has been a complete failure. Considering the 

 varied natural conditions of the district, with its well wooded and well watered 

 valleys, extensive peat bogs, and the vast extent of mountains, pastures and moors, 

 the paucity of species is unaccountable, especially as the Rannoch district is only a 

 few miles to the north of it. — H. Gross, Killin, Perthshire : Jultj 9,0th, 1901. 



Curious Nest of Och/nernx. — About July 11th I noticed a wasp of the genus 

 Orf^werM.9 go behind a picture in my room, and remain there for some time. On 

 removing the picture I found a mud nest between the picture and the wall ; it 

 consisted of a number of irregular com))artments, the sides of which were mud, the 

 back the wall, and the front the ]5icture. Part of the nest wns destroyed in moving 

 the picture, but the rest remained uninjured. Each compartment contained sevei'al 

 green caterpillars, about half an inch in length, partially paralysed so that they 

 could move somewhat, but not walk. When the front of the nest was removed by 

 taking down the picture a number fell out, but others remained in the cells. I 

 should mention that the nest was in all roughly three inches square, and there 

 were over thirty caterpillars altogether. The wasp was much disturbed by the 

 removal of the picture and flew aimlessly about for some time, and then disappeared 

 through the window, .nnd did not go on with the nest that day. However, on the 

 next day it returned, and began removing the caterpillars from the open cells, and 

 dropping them outside the room. When all the caterpillars were gone it began 

 restoring the nest, covering each cell with a mud wall in front, and stocking each 

 with several caterpillars before finally sealing it up. This went on for several days ; 

 it remained away at night but worked all day. I left home on the 15th, when the 

 nest was half finished, but I hear that it went on till the nest was complete, and 

 then started a new one under a picture less than two feet away. This one it also 

 stocked with caterpillars, but made only the side walls of the compartments, the 

 wall and picture making the back and front. After a time this picture was also 

 removed, and it was found that many of the caterpillars were glued on to the wall 

 by their posterior ends. This time the removal of the picture disheartened the 

 wasp, which after appearing much disturbed for some time, went away and has not 

 returned. TIk^ most interesting point seems to me to be the way the wasp, which 



