NOTES ON COLLECTING. 213 



On the 27th Eupitheda venosata was very common, and, rather re- 

 markable, a fine; Larentia salicata was taken on the shore at dusk. I 

 found ova of E. venosata on the unopened flowers of Silene maritima on 

 May 29th. They were laid singly on the side of the flowers, and, when 

 the eggs hatched, the young larva? bored into the flowers and fed upon 

 the seeds inside which had developed. It rained almost incessantly 

 for a fortnight, and no collecting could be done. On June 10th four 

 nice Melitaea aurinia emerged, and one Noctua festiva, the latter from 

 a Workington larva. June 17th produced two Emmelesia decolorata, 

 one Spilosoma lubricipeda, and several S. menthastri. I sugared 

 on the 27th, and moths were in fair numbers on the first five trees, 

 but a sudden burst of rain came on, and I could only find where I had 

 sugared by the moths sitting on the wet trees. I got some nice 

 Xylocampa rurea and dark aberrations, Hadena thalassina, II. adusta, 

 and Grrammesia trilinea. A journey to Buttermere in search of larvae 

 of Erebia epiphron was very disappointing, and, although I spent the 

 night upon the mountains I saw no signs of it, and I could not sweep 

 as everything was so wet with a very heavy dew. Later I will send 

 notes of my captures at Buttermere. — George Wilkinson, 211, Moss 

 Bay Road, Workington. July 15th, 1907. 



Notes on the "blue" butterflies of Cumberland. — We get 

 two species of " blues" regularly in Cumberland — Polyommatus icarus 

 and Gupido minima (alsus). The former is very generally distributed. 

 At Wreay, about four miles from Carlisle, a large bright form of the 

 male is common on the railway banks, and some interesting under- 

 sides are to be taken. The specimens from the seaside seem to be 

 much duller and smaller, and the females vary much more than inland 

 ones. It is fairly common around the hills, but I have not noticed it 

 at any elevation at all out of the common. Gupido minima (alsus) is 

 locally common, and in one small dip in the railway bank near Wreay 

 it is abundant. The examples from Gelt and Newbiggin Woods are 

 very much more blue than the Wreay ones, especially the males. 

 They vary considerably in the undersides, some being spotless, others 

 much streaked and spotted. < 'elastrina argiolus occurs here, but is 

 spasmodic and uncertain in its appearance. — Ibid. 



Trochilium andren.eformis, etc., in Kent. — You will be pleased 

 to hear that I have just bred a beautiful specimen of this species from 

 a larva found in this neighbourhood. It may also be worth noting 

 that, on the 17th, Mr. Crocker and myself found Odontia dentalis 

 and a good many Toxocampa pastinum in the Hailing district. — J. 

 Ovenden, Strood, Kent. July \%th, 1907. 



Notes on Nordmannia acacle and Edwardsia w-album in the 

 Basses-Alpes. — (1) Nordmannia acacle. — Habitats: The path by the 

 Verdon, on the way from Alios to the Lac d'Allos, where blackthorn 

 bushes grow on either side of the path, and edge the fields above and 

 below ; the top of the gorge itself, where also stunted blackthorn 

 bushes edge the fields that terminate at the shaly sloping banks that fall 

 down to the river, as also the rough rocky slopes higher up towards 

 the Bois de Vacherie, where stunted blackthorns are found with 

 the juniper bushes here and there, where the ground is less rocky, 

 are all spots where N. acaciae is to be found. It also occurs at 

 the edge of the pine-wood that terminates the steep rocky slopes 

 before entering Alios from Colmars. At Clelles-Mens, it is at 



