NOTES ON THl'] T,EPI1)01'TKRA OF BKENDON. 281 



have escaped the unl)i'oken downpour, which, following the cold winds 

 and fi-osts of the spring, will cause 190B to be long remembered by 

 J3ritish collectors at home and abroad in the north, as one of the worst 

 on record. 



Notes on the Lepidoptera of Brendon. 



By LOUIS B. PKOUT, F.E.S. 



Having spent two very enjoyable holidays (July 13th to August 

 13th, 1901, and July 18th to August 21st, 1903) in the neighbourhood 

 of Brendon, north Devon, in company with my friend Mr. J. E. 

 Gardner, I have obtained a sufficient acquaintance with the lepidop- 

 terous fauna of that district to feel justified in contributing to the Ent. 

 lievnrd some notes on the subject. Unfortunately "sugar" was paying 

 very poorly during both visits, and the very bad weather in the present 

 summer hindered the carrying out of many plans which might have 

 resulted in materially swelling our list. But still I think we may 

 claim to have ascertained that the district is a mine of wealth to the 

 diligent entomologist. The products of the immediate neighbourhood 

 of the farmhouse which we made our headquarters (a mile or so from 

 the village) were so interesting and varied, that I shall confine myself 

 to these for the greater part, merely appending a list of a few of the 

 principal species which we met with somewhat further afield. 



Among the butterflies nothing very striking was observed, although 

 to Londoners it was decidedly refreshing to have Bryan paphia flying 

 about in the garden, Zephiiras qaercm in the wood a few yards from 

 the house, and plenty of Aiijijnnis ai/laia and Satyrus acwelc, with a 

 few belated Callophnjs nibi, on the hillsides close by. Larv* of 

 Va)iesm iu — a species which is said to be getting scarcer in some parts 

 of the country of late years — were very common on both our visits. 

 One or two nice aberrations of Epincphiie tithnnus, with additional 

 ocelli on the forewings, also deserve mention. 



Sugaring, as I have already said, added very little to our " bag " ; 

 in fact, in 1903, hardly anything came at all excepting a few Xylena 

 inonoylyp/ia, and a few Moniia iiiaura down by the river Liyn. A very 

 occasional Craniophora Uynstri, on sugared ash-trunks, added just a 

 spice of interest to what would otherwise have been an absolutely futile 

 occupation. In 1901, we fared a little better, J/, viaiira was then a 

 pest in its particular locality, Comnia trapezina was common and in 

 endless varieties, Triphaena tUnhriata and Ainathes brunnea not uncom- 

 mon, with an occasional Thyatira hatis, Habrosyne derasa, Auiathes haia, 

 A. dahlii, Pyrajihiln pyrauiidea, Cleoceris viminalis, Cerapteryx yraniinis, 

 I'/iarctra ntiiiicin, etc. Of Envois prasina (herbida) I only saw one, 

 while many common species which might have been expected were 

 almost or entirely absent. 



But our most interesting Noctuid captures were made in other ways 

 than at sugar. Of those which were found in the larval stage I will 

 speak presently, but I may here mention that the local iStilbia anomala 

 was in plenty on the suitable heaths, and that Ayrotis ayathina, 

 Amathcs neylecta, and, of course, Lycophotia striyula, were taken at 

 heather bloom ; two or three Xylena sculopacina occurred at flowers of 

 bramble, while Triphaena ianthina was also true to its usual (though 

 not quite invariable) habit of preferring flowers to treacle. Both the 



