156 THR rntomologist's record. 



of the year. Oa Saturday, the 11th, at 11 a.m., 1 found myself under 

 the (scanty) shade of the olives, near Menaggio, watching Papilio 

 podalirim toying in mid-air, P. machaon skimming over the strips of 

 meadow between the vineyards, Euchlo'e cardamineH with its dash of 

 colour, the delicate Leptidia ,^inapis flying over the blossoms in the 

 grass, and the familiar /'flra/y/r' luegaera sunning itself with open wings 

 on a hot stone. After dull winter days this was a delightful experience. 

 I remained in Menaggio till April 20th, and, during those few days, 

 noted about thirty species of Rhopalocera. P. podalirius was very 

 common and especially attracted to the upper branches of the plum 

 trees around the town, then in I)lossom. P. urachaon was less common 

 and frequented the grassy slopes. Pieris rapae less common than P. 

 napi, but, perhaps the former was not yet fully out, as Frey states 

 [Lep. der Schiveis, p. 5) that napi is rather the earlier in Switzer- 

 land, and this remark probably applies also to North Italy. Euchlo'e 

 cardamines Avas abundant, the males varied a good deal in size ; 

 several females were noted. Leptidia sinapis was common. One 

 Colias hijale and two or three C. edu^a wore seen. Gonepteryx ihamni 

 was very conspicuous on the wooded slopes. Vmiessa io was seen 

 settling on an old wall, but Aiilais iiiticai^ was more numerous, while 

 Eiigonia polycJdoros appeared occasionally. A few Euranessa antlopa 

 were seen but could not be netted. I noticed, however, that they 

 were all white-bordered. Pult/gunia c-albant, occurred sparingly. 

 AriHinnis lathonia common in one sheltered spot. Paranic maiaera 

 flew about the pathways, and Coenomfnipha pamphilua haunted the 

 strips of meadow-land. Callo/ihrys rnhi was captured, but was scarce, 

 and only one specimen of Chryxofihanua fihlams was noted. In a warni 

 corner a single specimen of Poli/onwiattis astro rchc was seen, and 

 Cyaniris anjiolus was taken near Grandola. One larva of Aporia 

 i-rataei/i, app.irently about to pupate, was observed on a garden wall. 

 The remaining species noticed belonged to the Lycjcnids and Hesperiids, 

 but were not identified, though I fancy I saw Cupido sebrus and 

 Poluumiuatufi bellaryus among them. We did no serious collecting, 

 and my excuse for offering these casual remarks must be my belief 

 that the district around the lake of Como, on which little appears to 

 have been written by entomologists, would prove interesting to the 

 serious worker. — Alfked Sich, F.E.S., Corney House, Chiswick. 

 April 29tlt, VMS. 



Scarcity of Insects at sugar in 1902.— With regard to Mr. 

 Woodforde's note re the above {antea, vol. xiv., p. 34G), my experienci' 

 last season was that flowers were the more attractive bait, as I think 

 the following will show. In July last I sugared in Parkhurst Forest. 

 Newport, Isle of Wight, and was not at all satisfied with the few 

 insects whicb were on the sugar, nor with the way Thyatira bails and 

 Gonophora dirasa kept flitting past my lantern, only occasionally settling, 

 so I turned my attention to the flowers of the bramble, and found T. 

 batis, G. dcrasa, (h»iophora libatri.v, lladcna oleracea, Cosmia aj/inis, 

 Calyiiinia trapczina, and other moths there in goodly numbers. On 

 July 24th, I sugared some posts at the edge of the clitt's on the way to 

 Beachy Head, with very poor result, *7'~., one Xylojdiasia lithorylea, 

 three Miana literosa, one M. striyilis ab. acthiops, one Caradrina 

 morpheus, and eleven Apamea didyrna (pculea), and concluded that the 

 flowers up the face of the cliff were getting the lion's share of the 



