PRACTICAL HINTS 



FOR THE 



FIELD LEPIDOPTERIST 



(PART II) 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



Price 6s. net (interleaved for Collector's own notes). 



Those lepidopterists who have Part I of this work should certainly have 

 Part II before commencing the main part of the season's work. It is very 

 much lai-ger than Part I, contains entirely new material, the general chapters 

 have full and detailed information on all the most successful methods 

 adopted for breeding lepidoptera, and the hints comprise some information 

 on the means of ol)t;xiaing almost all the species of British Macro-Lepi- 

 doptera. The following is a sample page of the " bints " for August, from 

 p. 112:— 



MeUiiiia rjihago comes freely to light in August (at Cambridge, Beading, &c.), and 

 is sometimes taken from the lamps in and near towns in large numbers, probably only 

 where avenues of elms exist in the suburbs of the towns. 



Towards the end of August, at about 6 p.m., search should be made at the base of 

 ash-trees, and on the cUhris around, for freshly-emerged imagines of Cirrhoedia 

 xi'irnnpeliim. 



.In the Church Stretton district, imagines of Cirrhoedia xerampelbia are to be obtained 

 at the foot of some large ash trees, clinging to blades of grass, at the end of August and 

 early in September, the trunks rarely giving a single specimen. 



In the middle of August the imagines of Lithomia soUdaffinis occur freely on a piece 

 of boggy heath near Wilsden. At rest this species has a most remarkable resemblance 

 to 1 he excrement of grouse — the male particularly so. It folds its wings round its body, 

 clasps a stone with its legs and raises its body to an angle of about 30", its markings, 

 colour, shape, and mode of attachment make the imitation almost perfect. 



LiHioii i It solidii [/ill in abounds in Cannock Chase in late August. The imagines are 

 very ea.sy to find, as they sit on the birch-tree trunks during the daytime, principally with 

 their heads thrust into some crevice in the bark, so that their bodies stand out at right 

 angles to the trunks of the trees, rendering them conspicuous. As many as 150 have 

 been taken on one day, the greatest number on a single tree being seven. 



The larviB of CiicullUi lychiiitis will eat Scroph ularia aquatica as well as Verbascum, 

 preferring the buds and blossoms. 



Everyone who has the opportunity should devote some days during the first fortnight 

 of August to searching for larvae of Cuciillia gnaphaUi in the Kent woods. It is easy to 

 nnike a small, light beating tray of black calico, sewn to a frame of stout iron wire, and, 

 having found an opening in the woods where the golden-rod is plentiful, each plant should 

 be beaten gently with a light stick into the tray, which should be held against the plant- 

 stalk, low down near the ground. Plenty of larva) of C. asteriii will be obtained, and of 

 Eupitheciids too, but the larva of C. (jnaphalii is unmistakable with its dull green colour- 

 ing ai^d purple dorsal stripe. An average of one to a hard day's work is good (P. C. Eeid). 



The imagines of Siilbia unomala are best taken on Cannock Chase in early 

 Au,'ust, bej^inning to make their appearance about 7 p.m., and continuing to fly till about 

 8. HO p.m. The insect is very consjjicuous on the wing, the aiiiple lower wings making it 

 appear almost white when flying; it gets up suddenly out of the heather and short grass, 

 flies ten or twelve yards, and then drops down again, folding its dark u^iper svings closely 

 over the lower ones, find thus, in a moment, becoming almost invisible, so that, unless 

 one marks very exactly the spot where it falls, it is impossible to detect it. Frequently, 

 however, it will fly up again almost directly, when, of course, it may be "snapped " with 

 the net (Thornowill). 



To be obtained from H. E. Page, '• Bertrose," Gellatly Eoad, Hatcham. 



