RETROSPECT OF A LEPIDOPTERIST FOR 305 



Retrospect of a Lepidopterist for 1905. 



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



The last " Eetrospect of a Lepidopterist " written for these pages 

 was that of Mr. L. B. Prout for 1902, when he had to complain of a 

 bad season. Bad as was 1902, it was nothing compared with the 

 general badness of 1903, whilst 190-4 was little better. True the 

 weather in 1904 was infinitely better than that of either of the 

 preceding years, but so bad had been the previous two seasons that 

 there were feAv insects, and the best that could be said of the year was 

 that it gave the comparatively few insects that were on the wing, a 

 better chance of being active for a lengthy period, and so fulfil 

 their natural functions. This advantage has been fully seen in the 

 season just past, for the year 1905 has been undoubtedly, from the 

 collector's point of view, a vast improvement on that of each of the 

 three preceding years. It may be worth while noting that Fletcher 

 records {Flept. Ent. Soc. Out., 1904, p. 56), in his " Entomological Record 

 for 1901," just to hand, that, in the Dominion of Canada, 1903 and 1904 

 were very cold and disappointing from an entomologist's point of 

 outlook, and he echoes our north European experience, when he says 

 that "he had never known, in 30 years' experience in Canada, a 

 season when insects Avere so scarce as in 1904." 



The season of 1905 opened well in Britain, with a general 

 abundance of the early spring-feeding Noctuid larvte, some species 

 being in great numbers, and although cold weather adversely 

 atiected the emergence of insects in April and May, yet there was 

 not that absolute dearth of common species that characterised the 

 two previous years, and when the warm weather did come, there was 

 much to show that the abundance of insects was on the up-grade. 

 Some of the more interesting captures made were those of Phryxus 

 livornica in Wales, Cornwall, and at Gloucester, six in all, Daxijcampa 

 nibi(jinea, in the New Forest, and Diiuorpha versicolora, at Reading. It 

 really seems amazing when one turns back and reads the records in the first 

 5 or 6 volumes of the Ent. Record, 1890-1895, and compares the recorded 

 abundance of what are generally considered good insects at that time 

 with what has occurred of late years, and one is apt to wonder whether 

 one is still in the same country where the same fauna dwells. The 

 discovery of the black $ form of Blston hirtaria at Morthoe, and the 

 delicate ab. columhina of Nola confasalis in Epping Forest, are interest- 

 ing, also the finding of pupte (and larvae later) of Cerura bicunpis near 

 Horsford in Norfolk, and imagines of the same species at Haverthwaite 

 Moss in Lancashire. Aeiji'via splwuifonnis occurred in most of its 

 haunts, and was recorded from Pamber, whilst ^E. chri/sidifonnis and 

 other local south coast species were not rare. Sugar paid well 

 intermittently all the summer, but rare Noctuids were not frequent — 

 Aijrotis ravida, at Hitchin, being among the best. Mcunestra abjecta and 

 Hj/druecia palndh were not uncommon along the saltmarshes of the 

 Medway, and Leucania facirulnr occurred at Woodbridge in July. One 

 of the best takes of the season was Anjijre.'ithia ilium inatella near 

 Hailsham, and Hyluicus jiinastri is still recorded as occurring in 

 Suffolk. Eupithecia en-tensaria appears to be as abundant as ever at 

 Hunstanton, and to be as easily bred. Among the butterflies, Apuria 

 rrataeiji, on the verge of extinction !, in its only known resort in Thaaet,. 



December 15th, 1905. 



