NOTES ON COLLECTING. 849 



week I saw half- to thL-ee-quai'ters-fed larva3of species like Lupliopteryx 

 camelinn and Brepana falciila wandering about the birch-twigs in 

 search of leaves which have already fallen here. — L. W. Newman, 

 Bexley, Kent. Noveviher 5th, 1902. 



Late appearance of Lepidoptep^. — It may be well, as illustrating 

 the lateness of the season here, to note that Cahjmnia trapczina, Orthosia 

 macilenta, and Dichonia aprilina are only just coming out in this 

 district. I took a LcpUnjranwia scotana on November 1st, they seem 

 to be very scarce this year. — E. Rogers Bush, 1, Strathmore Street, 

 Perth. November Gtli, 1902. 



Agrotis agathina and Xystophora servella at King's Lynn. — 

 Sugar and light have been singularly unattractive this year, and I look 

 upon this season as one of the most unproductive we have experienced 

 for many years. I worked three nights for AijrotiH (ujatldna, and 

 captured two specimens, losing two others in the heather (the first 

 example observed August 27th). My best capture in Micros this 

 year were three or four Xystophora servcUa ; the cold nights prevented 

 me getting more.— E. A. Atmore, P.E.S., King's Lynn. September 

 30th, 1902. 



Rearing Pachygastria trifolii. — Hints wanted. — Does Pachy- 

 gastria trifolii always breed crippled ? A few years ago I got larvas at 

 Lyndhurst, and about 75% were more or less crippled. This year I 

 took over 30 larvae and bred two good ones ; though a good many of 

 the larvae died in this case. What is the experience of others ? Will 

 those who are more successful give hints as to their mode of procedure? 

 — S. Brady, 68, Hunterhouse Road, Sheffield. October SOth, 1902. 



Collecting in the Cotteswolds in 1902. — Daring the past season 

 I have not been able to do half I desired in field-work on the Cottes- 

 wolds, but the few occasions on which I reached our usual " happy 

 hunting grounds " I found abundance of insect life of one order or 

 another, while, as regards lepidoptera, a student from Oxford who 

 worked diligently here for some 20 days in July informed me that he 

 had taken or observed over 200 species, including Aeiferia ichneumoni- 

 forniis, one of which I myself found in the snare of one of the largest 

 of our hill spiders, Aijelena labi/rinthica. Among the remains in this 

 snare were the conspicuous wings of Anthrocera jiUpotdnlae. I spent 

 some time in sweeping and searching the herbage in that spot, but no 

 living specimen of this uncommon clearwing rewarded my efforts, 

 but I was very pleased with my find in the spider's den, it being the 

 first I ever saw on our hills. Near the same locality on July 28th, 

 while searching on all fours, I met with my first example of 

 Crambus pinellns, L., while, near by, a fresh example of Litliosia com- 

 plana rested ready for boxing. Anthrocera jilipenchdae this season 

 appeared on our hills in greater numbers than I ever remember during 

 more than 30 years' observations. Its parasites accordingly increased, 

 and the gregarious cocoons of the little Apantelea could be seen in all 

 directions attached to the tall grass stems, while a few weeks later the 

 larvae of the larger IchnQUTaon, Memstenns obnoxliis, Gr., could be found 

 spinning their exceedingly tough cocoons, each singly in the cococm of 

 its host, where it passes the winter and spring, during whicli it may 

 be collected by searching for full, hard cocoons of the Burnet moth. 

 Some winters these are quite scarce, but at the present time it is not 

 difficult to find several examples in a short stroll across the hills. 



