212 THE entomologist's record. 



way back into the hedge, from whence it is not always easy to dislodge 

 them a second time. They are mostly among hawthorn, but I have 

 beaten them out of hedges formed of a mixture of blackthorn and 

 bramble. I hoped to have got their larvae or pupae this season, but 

 failed to do so. The moths are here, however, for I have taken a good 

 many since the 26th August. They appear at the end of August, and 

 last for about three weeks. — W. F. Johnson, Armagh. September ^th, 

 1890. 



Leucania vitellina in the Isle of Wight. — On Friday night, 

 the 26th ult., I was fortunate in securing a specimen of the above 

 rarity at sugar on a fence at my usual working ground in the Isle of 

 Wight. The night was unfavourable, being very light, owing to an 

 almost full moon, with very high wind and a few clouds. There were 

 hardly any other moths on my whole round, even the commonest being 

 absent, I saw one Agrotis saucia, the only one I have seen this 

 autumn, but this was too sharp for me to be able to box. The most 

 notable absentee in my experience, has been A. suffusa, which usually 

 swarms, but of which I have only seen two or three specimens this 

 autumn. — Albert J. Hodges, 2 Highbury Place, N. October 2iid, 

 1890. 



Note on Phoxopteryx obtusana. Haw. — This pretty little Tortrix 

 seems to be somewhat spasmodic in its appearance here ; probably it is 

 so in other localities. At the end of May and early in June, 1888, I 

 observed it to be rather common in one restricted spot, flying freely in 

 the early evening sunshine around a few oak-trees, and from these trees, 

 specimens might also be beaten during the day. Previously, the few 

 specimens I took annually were invariably associated with sallow, and, 

 once or twice, specimens m cop. were actually obtained by beating 

 sallow. This season, P. obtusana has once again occurred freely near 

 its old habitat, but, strange to say, every one of the fifty or sixty 

 specimens taken were flying around or beaten from young birch-trees. 

 Its larva has^ I believe, not yet been discovered, and its probable 

 pabulum is, not without reason, a puzzle to me. Perhaps when its 

 life-history is elucidated, its larva may prove to be a general tree- 

 feeder, or, as is not at all unlikely, it may feed upon some low plant. — 

 E. A. Atmore. September 26th, 1890. 



AcRONYCTA (Viminia) auricoma NEAR CHATHAM. — Soine ycars ago, 

 my friend, Mr. Chaney, and I took a considerable number of this 

 species, most of which were given to Dr. Allchin. Probably we took 

 more in 1859 than any other year, but all my dates are in July, and I 

 never saw any sign of the species in any other month. ^ — J. Tyrer, 

 Jeffery Street, New Brompton, Kent. 



Insects at Raspberry blossoms. — I would advise careful attention 

 to raspberry canes when in blossom. Some time ago I was in the 

 walled garden of a Scotch " lodge " where the raspberries were in full 

 blossom and the flower-beds edged with blue pansies. Moths came 

 to these two attractions in astonishing numbers. The low growing 



^ This would agree with the second brood. I believe Mr. lugwell has taken this 

 second brood near Hailsham, Sussex, and I know that in the same locality, May is 

 considered the month for the first brood by the Brighton collectors. — Ed. 



