334 THE entomologist's record 



crowd them, as a good many died, and, T expect the cannibals I had, 

 finished a good many more ; however, next year I hope to have 

 profited by experience and to do better. I reared large numbers of 

 Cosmia irapezina, Scopelosovia satellitia, Tortrix viriduTia, Hybernia 

 defoliaria and H. auratitiaria, both males and wingless females. I 

 found the caterpillars of the two last-named on hazel. I found larvae 

 singularly scarce all the end of the season, and shall be curious to see 

 how next year will turn out, especially after the present Arctic weather. 

 — John Williams Vaughan, Jun., The Skreen, Radnorshire. 



Grange-over-Sa7ids. — The only thing here worthy of record has been 

 PcBcilocampa popiili^ which first appeared on November i6th, when they 

 were in fair numbers on the gas lamps, but since then, they have been 

 few and far between. Cheimatobia brumata has been excessively 

 common in the woods, etc. — George A. Booth, Grange-over-Sands. 

 January, i8qi. 



Clevedon. — On October 15th, the wind shifted round from east to 

 south-west, and there was quite a " rush " of insects to ivy bloom : — 

 Orthosia inacile7ita, O. lota, Scopelosoma satellitia, Xylina petrificata, 

 X. semibrunnea, X. rhizolifha, Oporabia dibttata, Cerastis vaccinii, 

 C. spadicea, Xafithia ferriigitiea, Miselia oxyacanthce and its var. capu- 

 cina ; all these, with the exception of the last three, putting in a first 

 appearance on this evening, a full fortnight late I should say, and this 

 one of the finest autumns I have experienced during the eleven years I 

 have resided at Clevedon. Sphinx convolviili is still an absentee, though 

 I have taken it as late as the first week in November. — J. Mason, 

 Clevedon. October, i8go. 



Darlington, — I took at light last week, Poecilocampa populi, Pctasia 

 cassinea, Dasypolia iempli, Cidaria miata and Oporabia dilutata. — 

 W. MiLBURN. October 27//^, 1890. 



Abundance of Setina irrorella in the Isle of Wight. — The 

 above very generally distributed species is well known from Newman's 

 British Moths and other sources to be specially abundant on the 

 Freshwater Cliffs, but my own experience, when working in that 

 neighbourhood, showed me that unless its habits are studied, as with 

 almost every other species, it is not much " in evidence." Saving for 

 a stray specimen occasionally found at rest late in the evening when 

 sugaring, or kicked up by chance during the day I have never but on 

 one occasion seen this species in any plenty excepting when I have 

 suited my own habits to that of my desired quarry. The one occasion 

 I refer to was a particularly mild night early in July, when just at 

 dusk, irrorella was flying in great numbers but confined to a very 

 limited area. It would have been possible although dangerous, owing 

 to the nearness of its flight to the edge of the cliffs, to have netted 

 considerable numbers. However, wishing to secure a long series in 

 hopes of meeting with the rarer variety (var. signata), I decided to 

 make a special attempt, and, finding a very precipitous piece of rough 

 ground covered with a very rank growth of long grass, etc., I deter- 

 mined to work it early. As the slopes referred to were some 300 feet 

 below the edge of the cliffs and entirely inaccessible from the top, I 

 had to arrange overnight with a boatman to be in readiness for an 

 early start. Having been duly aroused by a tap of an oar at my 

 bedroom window, I went down to the beach, and finding everything 



