NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 211 



this occasion, and beyond netting a couple of Cicindela sylvatica close 

 to North Camp Railway Station, Aldershot, I did very little. Crypto- 

 cephalus minutus was fairly common on the heath, and Coccinellida: 

 were decidedly scarce. Even in the hop plantations the larvae, or 

 " serpents " as they are locally termed, were not plentiful ; and in 

 many places I found only two to a single pole, although the " fly " 

 {Fhorodo?i Jiumuli) appeared in such quantities as to give no hope of 

 any hop-crop whatever. The only species I could find on the hop- 

 plants being Coccuiella bipunctata, C. '] -punctata and C. variabilis. 

 In the fir plantations C. ob/ongo-guttata was not abundant, but could be 

 had by working for; C. iS-guttata was prevalent on the Scotch firs; 

 C. oce'llata seemed backward, indeed I generally take more of this 

 species later and earlier in the year. C. \ ^-punctata is generally a 

 common insect at Farnham, but the perfect form was entirely absent, 

 although I met with a few of its larvse. Other Coccinella species were 

 also uncommon, and the reason of their scarcity is attributed by the 

 planters to the heavy rains which appear to have washed the larvae 

 away. At Moor Park I turned up several Cioniis scrophularice and C. 

 blatferice, but not in such numbers as formerly, as the undergrowth has 

 been cut and large quantities destroyed. My holiday here was of short 

 duration, and, as previously mentioned, nothing of importance came to 

 my net. West Wickham. — On August i6th, I went to see my old 

 friend, Mr. W. Chaney, and we proceeded to West Wickham woods in 

 the bright weather for an afternoon's sport. On the road, I picked 

 up a stray chafer {Rhizotrogus solstitialis) ; this chafer is common 

 at Hampstead, and also in many parts of Kent and Surrey. In 

 the woods, I obtained Cryptocephalus piisillus, RJiynchites nanus 

 and Cceliodes rubicundus (commonly), three species of Orchestes, 

 and, sitting on the flower of the yellow ragwort {Senecio jacobcecc), I 

 found a nice male specimen of Strangalia \-fasciata. This last was a 

 good capture, and I was very pleased to get it. Among the odd 

 insects which came into the umbrella was a specimen of the curious 

 Homopteron, Ledra aurita ; this I obtained from birch. I also 

 captured two long-legged Hemiptera, and handed them over to Mr. 

 Chaney. This trip was one of the pleasantest I have experienced 

 during the season. Islington. — On August 26th, while sitting at supper, 

 I saw a beetle running quickly across the room. I went for it and found 

 it to be a fine specimen of Sphodrns leucophthabnus. This insect is 

 supposed to be common in the " London District," but I do not know 

 a single person who can procure a specimen by simply searching for it. 

 My friend, Mr. Thompson, of Regent's Park, adopted the plan of 

 leaving a small light burning in his cellar, then going down and sud- 

 denly turning on the full glare ; in this way he captured three specimens 

 last year, but this season I have not received one from him. — G. A. 

 Lewcock, 73, Oxford Road, Islington. 



Peronea perplexana, Barr. at Armagh. — In August and Sep- 

 tember, 1889, I took a number of this species here. I obtained it 

 along with others of the same genus by beating the hedges in the after- 

 noon. The moths thus disturbed fly out and are captured, but they 

 need considerable quickness both of eye and hand, as they dart down 

 to the ground and hide at the roots of the herbage, or else; make their 



