NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 289 



here, a male and female of this species in capital condition. The 

 fortunate captor brought them in his collecting box to Mr. Griffin of 

 this town, who identified them, and I believe thev have since been sold 

 to a Brighton collector. It is supposed, as there was foreign clover 

 growing near where the captures were made, that the ova may have 

 come over with seeds. — R. A. Dallas Beeching, Tunbridge Wells. 

 Oct. 6th, 1S90. [G. Cleopatra is one of those unfortunate species which 

 are occasionally reported to have been taken in England. Sometimes 

 the specimens have been carious vars. of G. rhavini, at other times 

 they have been G. cleopatra with strange histories. I should like to 

 know what led Mr. Griffin to determine both the ^ and ? as cleopatra, 

 the ? being scarcely (if at all) distinguishable from $ rhainni. I 

 should also like to know how, since cleopatra feeds on shrubs and 7iot 

 on clover, there can be any supposition that the ova came in clover 

 seeds. Finally, did Mr. Griffin see the specimens alive ? Who is the 

 Brighton collector who bought them? What history was given him? and 

 what has Mr. Parsons to say about the capture? — Ed.] 



Light at Newbury. — The moth-trap has, on the whole, been a 

 success. Besides those mentioned {Record, p. 180), I have taken Neuria 

 saponarice, Diaiithoicia cucubali, D. carpophaga, D. capsincola, Ptilophora 

 palpina, Notodonta camelina, JV. droviedarius, Gortyna flavago, Cara- 

 drina hlanda, C. alsines, Hecatera serena, Hadena genistce, Pericallia 

 syringaria, Etinomos erosaria. Cleora Uchenaria, Acidalia holosericata, 

 A. subsericeata, A. imitaria, A. einarginata, Corycia taminaia, Strenia 

 clathrata, and Coremia propiignata, besides any number of commoner 

 insects. — M. Kimber, Newbury, Berks, October i^t/i, 1890. 



Habits of Epione vespertaria. — We found Epione vespertaria at 

 Sandburn this July and August, in numbers, but I have not heard of 

 any variety being found. This species flies most commonly between 

 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Its flight lasts, may be, only for half an hour, and 

 then as suddenly as the species appear they disappear. To obtain the 

 $ you must search the grasses, etc. at night. This sex seldom rests 

 upon its foodplant. I have one very fine variety in my cabinet, a $ , 

 with the markings and border of the $.—'$>. Walker, York. Sep- 

 tember 12th, 1890. 



Scarcity of Diurni. — The season of the present year (1890) opened 

 fairly well with the Diurni, some species being tolerably abundant, Fieris 

 napi and Gonopteryx rhamni (hybernated) were decidedly above the 

 average in numbers. As the season advanced, the state of things looked 

 ver} gloomy, the usual July species either scarce or altogether absent, and 

 many emerging much behind time, and this autumn has been almost a 

 blank. I have not seen a single specimen of Vanessa atalauta or V. 

 cardiii, nor am I aware of any having been taken ; V. urtiue has been 

 scarce but V. io has occurred in fair numbers, ancl Gonopteryx rhamni 

 has been common, males and females in equal numbers, which is un- 

 usual, as I have always found the males far more common than females. 

 As an instance of the scarcity of butterfiies, the following will show. 

 During a walk of about twenty-five miles on September 14th through 

 mixed country, with my friend, Mr. S. Russell, we did not see above 

 thirty specimens ; in five miles not a single butterfly was seen, not even 

 a white, although we passed by numerous attractive gardens (in full 



