JJOTES ON COLLECTING. 



803 



Ch.\mberlain, F.E.S., Hiohbury, Moor (Iveen, Birmingham. S('pte)iihey 

 28tJi, 1902. 



Leucania albipuncta, etc., in South Devon. — Last month I had 

 again the pleasure of taking several Leucania albipuncta on the South 

 Devon Coast, three of them on September 4th, two of which singularly 

 were secured on sugar of the previous night, and which I casually 

 looked over on my way home. On September 5th, with another L. 

 albipuncta, I took a female Laphij(/ma exicfua, the only one seen on 

 this years' visit ; it was so worn, too, that I fancy it must have been a 

 straggler from the summer brood, and that the autumn brood was not 

 yet out this late season. The only fresh lepidopteron of interest to my 

 former records was Tlucla betulae, females of which were flying about 

 blackthorn bushes. Of dragonflies the formerly rare 3'nchna mixta 

 was abundant in several places, Torcross proving a good locality for 

 it. A fresh species to former records, too, turned up in the fine 

 Conhiletjaster annulatu^. Two fresh trichoptera, too, were taken at 

 sugar, the rare Lininophilus bipnnctatus being very welcome, and Stcno- 

 phylax concentricua commonly. The weather generally was bad from a 

 lepidopterological standpoint, but from my experience this and last year, 

 the September of 1900 was an exceptional one, and I expect the 

 marvellous captures of that time are only likely to be repeated in 

 occasional equally exceptional seasons. — Geo. T. Porritt, F.L.S., 

 F.E.S., Crosland Hall, near Hudderstield. October 8th, 1902. 



Lepidoptera in Merioneth. — The weather in North Merionethshire 

 was fine in August and September, and butterflies were abundant, if 

 late in emergence. Pieris hrasfiicac appeared about August 8th, and 

 was very numerous in September; P. rapac, August 15th; P. napi, 

 out for some days before August 1st. Of the Vanessids, T fl??^'s.sa io 

 was abundant from August 19th ; Ajilais urticae from the end of July, 

 especially on the uplands ; Ih/ranwis atalanta, August 14th-September 

 15th ; Pohjpiiiiid c-albuui sparingly, but widely distributed, in at least 

 half-a-dozen localities, from August 21st. Ariu/nnis ai/laia and A. 

 adippe swarmed on the wooded mountain sides. The former worn by 

 August 1st, though I took a fine female of the ab. i^uff'um on August 

 23rd ; Driian paphia occurred in numbers in some of the woods, I saw 

 a 5 ab. valcsina near Maentwrog, but could not get it. On August 

 23rd I caught an interesting $ ab. of 7>. paphia. This form is not 

 to be found at South Kensington. The black spots, especially the 

 " Augenreihe," on the lower wings are appreciably larger than the type, 

 and the base and nearly two-thirds of the hindwings are powdered with 

 greenish scales, rather like those of Anipnnis Intlinnia. Can this and 

 the dark aberration of A. aplaia already noted have been due to the 

 wintry spring and early summer ? Of the Satyrids the usual species 

 were plentiful, Sati/rua seinele being especially abundant, but Paranie 

 var. ei/crides was decidedly rare, appearing very late in August ; Foly- 

 (iminatus icaru>f and ('hn/sioplianus jiJdaeas swarmed, and Ze}ihyrus 

 (pierci'iti was very numerous in the oak woods till September 3rd ; 

 Ct/anirifi arfiiolus was rare, and I only saw two $ s of Aujiiades si/lranmi, 

 August 5th and 8th. On August 8th I found Brenthia selene, some 

 going over, some quite fresh on the Roman Steps — alt. circ. 1800ft. 

 above Coombychan Lake. I cannot think this was a second brood, 

 since the butterfly only appears on the low ground in May and -Tune, I 

 suppose it must be attributed to the season. Of sugaring and beating 



