NOTES OX COLLECTING. 275 



one of the worst months I have experienced for years, from a collecting 

 point of view, lepidoptera generally being very backward. The weather 

 was very bad, not a week's sunshine altogether during the whole month. 

 August 9th (Coronation day) was about the best day, but then we did have 

 the sun the whole day (although more fortunate than London where it 

 remained dull the greater part of the day). After this the sun was a 

 rare visitor and the weather was very heavy and oppressive. Folyoiii- 

 nuttiis corydon was later in appearance and not half so abundant as in 

 1901. Some good aberrations were taken, however, including several 

 males with spotless undersides and many approaching spotless, twelve 

 very dwarf males, two no larger than Citpido miniDia, and four males, 

 very large, measuring l^", the largest I have ever taken. Another 

 male has the blue more approaching that of P. bellanim in tint. 

 Many females were taken with aberrant undersides, one exceptionally 

 dark, one very light, quite as light as those of a normal male, 

 four females much shot with blue, and four dwarfs. P. bellart/ua 

 (second brood) was not seen up to the end of August, and P. 

 ctfitrarchr, P. icariifi, and L'upulo ininhim did not appear till well 

 into the third week. A spot where I'auiphila comma usually 

 swarms had not produced a specimen up to the end of August, 

 but three nice aberrations of EphwpJu'le ianira were taken, one male with 

 two very large white patches on right hand side, one male with lower 

 wings much bleached, one female with lower wing on left side almost 

 white. Females of Aniynnis aylaia were all fresh, one taken flying had 

 the left side of the lower wing not developed. L'hrysupJianns phlaeas were 

 showing at the end of August, and 2Ielanaiyia ycdathca remained fresh 

 during August, three females taken at the end of the month were 

 drying their wings. One Colias ednsa was seen on August 9th at 

 Dover, and two C. hyale at Dover, on August 20th and 23rd, J also 

 heard of two taken at Folkestone. Aylais urticae and Pyrameis atalanta 

 were not seen at all, yet Pyrameis cardui was fairly common in all 

 stages, and small larva? were taken quite at the end of x\ugust. Pliisia 

 yamwa put in an appearance during the second week, they came very 

 suddenly, and during the week they were in hundreds everywhere, 

 after the second week they gradually diminished to an occasional two 

 or three. I noticed quite a similar magical appearance in 1900. Larvfe 

 of Thcretra porcellas were fairly common, but extremely late, very 

 small till about the third week, none that were taken had donned their 

 brown coats before then. A few larvae of Sesia stdlatarum were taken, 

 and Sjdiin.c li(/ustri larv;^ were common. Night work was an utter 

 failure.— C. P. Pickett, F.E.S. September '2,0th, 1902. 



Lepidopteka in the Reading and Folkestone districts. — On 

 August 4th last I beat out on a chalk-hill at Streatley, near Reading, a 

 specimen of Mesotyjie riryata {Uneolata), a species which I do not think 

 has been taken in this district before. I may say I took the specimen 

 to Folkestone and showed it to Dr. Guard Knaggs, who says that it is a 

 very nice aberration, and that was of course the reason that I was not 

 at first quite sure that it was M. riryata, as it is very different from 

 the specimens I have from Deal. Mr. Hills, of Folkestone, also says it 

 is M. riryata. I also took my first specimen of Coremia quadrifasciata 

 here on July IGth last. I spent a fortnight at Folkestone this month 

 (September 1st to 15th) and saw about half a dozen Colias edusa, and 

 captured one ab. Iwlice, and four ? Colias hyale. llipparchia semele 



