NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 181 



they are feeding up ravenously on chickweed. I hope to be able to 

 bring them out this autumn. — M. Kimuer, Newbury, July i']fh, 1890. 



Readi7ig. — I remember the time when moths came to sugar, but in 

 these (lays they appear to have given up the habit, at least here. 

 Caiocala pT^missa is recorded in "Newman" as occurring in Berkshire, 

 but I never could find it all the years I have collected till last week, 

 when I got one on a tree trunk near a very old oak wood. No doubt 

 I could get a number here, if sugaring were any good, but at present it 

 is useless to buy the sugar. I have taken H. crassnlis and Leiicania 

 iurca at Reading, also for the first time. Pwnea stramentalis has been 

 more abundant than usual, but I have found the commonest moth of 

 the season, so far. to be Chortodes arcuosa, which fairly swarmed along 

 the river bank and in the damp meadows. Epione apiciaria flies freely 

 in the sallow beds it frequents at midnight. — W. Holland, Reading. 

 July 28///, 1890. 



Isle of Man. — On my arrival at Ramsey on August 12th I found the 

 weather very unsettled, and was at once informed that butterflies were 

 scarce this season. I however noticed the following : — Polyommatus 

 phlcEas (very striking forms), Lyccena icarus, Satyrus semele, Pararge 

 megiera, an occasional Vanessa iirtiar., Pieris rapie, P. brassiccB and dark 

 P. napi, the latter fairly common, but worn. There was little to be 

 done during, the day, except beating over-hanging sandcrests ; these 

 produced only Larentia salicata and Melanippe fiuduata. The nights 

 were extremely cold ; but on a piece of waste ground adjoining my 

 garden^ grew a quantity of ragwort among mallow trees, which 1 worked 

 nightly. Among the mallows I took a long series of Eiibolia cervinaria, 

 mostly mal(^s. ,. A few Scotosia dubitata, Boarmia repandata (small), 

 Eiipithecia coftstrictata, Cidaria fussata (nearly black) and C. iinmanata 

 (very light) were beaten out in numbers from ash trees during the day. 

 The following came to light but sparingly compared with my experience 

 during previous seasons : Lnperina testacea, L. capitis, and A. lunosa. 

 Sugaring failed altogether ; the only species which appeared, being the 

 Qvex-\)rcsQn\. Xylophasia polyodon. I therefore directed my attention 

 almost entirely to searching the ragwort at night. As this plant grows 

 in great abundance in the Island, I selected a pretty glen between cliffs 

 for this purpose and was soon rewarded by taking some fine Epunda 

 nigra. The following is a list of others I obtained in the same way : 

 Noctua xanthographa (various forms), N. g/areosa, A. tragopogonis^ 

 Caradrina cubicularis, Agrotis tritici, A. valligera, Miana literosa, 

 Trypha;na orbona, T. itiierjecta, Hydrcecia niicacea, P. meticulosa 

 (common), Agroiis prcscox a.nd A. pyrop/ii/a (rare). I was pleased on 

 August 28th, to meet again with Stilbia anomola; the females appeared 

 early in the evening sitting on the flowers of the ragwort, but, owing to 

 the heavy rains for a week previous to that date, I found them all very 

 much worn. I may here mention that, in South Wales, I took this 

 species during two seasons about August 22nd, just emerged in fine 

 condition. At Douglas and Ramsey I also spent a considerable time 

 in searching for C. xeravipelina, of which I took a nice series (com- 

 mencing on x\ugust 26th), all very fine, though only the ordinary form. 

 Most of these I found between 3 and 5 p.m. on and around the ash 

 trees, in the grass, and among dead leaves, where careful searching was 



