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THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECOKD. 



evidently to misunderstand the Eev. C. R. N. Burrows' position. 

 Mr. Burrows can perhaps make his own case clearer without any out- 

 side help. Any way, there can be no doubt of the justice of this 

 gentleman's contention. No person bas a right to waste the time of 

 scientific men, as busy as, or more so perhaps than, himself. There is 

 another old saw, of which one might remind Mr. Bell, viz., " a 

 thing tbat is worth doing at all is worth doine- w T ell." 



An October Evening at Mucking. 



By (Key.) C. R. N. BURROWS. 



In my diary I notice the gradual falling off of captures towards 

 the decline of the year. Whether this is the measure of my activities or 

 a natural result I do not know, though it is certain tbat if we do not 

 collect vigorously in the autumn we shall not take much. Last evening, 

 October 3rd, was an improvement upon tbe last week or two, and I 

 was much elated by my success. Perhaps my experience may prove 

 of interest to others as well as to myself. 



I laid on my sugar, mingled with beer, methylated spirit, oil of 

 cloves, zinc valerianate, amyl acetate, oil of aniseed, etc., soon 

 after 6 p.m., and as soon as I had sugared commenced my round. I 

 have ere this noticed my experience, that, at this time of the year the 

 most successful rounds are the earliest, because the moths are flying 

 in the greatest numbers before it is dark. At about 6.35 p.m. then, I 

 lighted my lamp, put on my hat and satchel, and started forth. This 

 is the time for Emmelina monodactylus, which appears in some 

 numbers now, and is rarely on the sugar later. Anchocelis pistacina 

 is in countless numbers at sugar, and later on at light. The variation 

 is extreme, from dark to palest clay-colour, which latter form I love best, 

 because to me it is the rarest. I cannot trace it in The British Aoctuae 

 and their 1 arieties unless it be ab. serin a, Esp. A.lunnsa is getting scarce, 

 and the lighter forms have disappeared. The same remark holds good with 

 A. litura. I am not sure, but imagine, that, in the case of the former, 

 as well as the latter, the lighter are the males. Cerastis lignla is but 

 three days old, in splendid condition of course, hut not a sign of the 

 type form, that with the white hindmargin. Agrotis segetum has 

 appeared at last, the first specimen of the second brood turning up on 

 the 1st inst. I had not seen it since August 23rd. Peridrom.a saucia 

 as usual, quite common, including the (to me) rare form ab. nigrocosta, 

 Tutt. Hypena rostralis, Pionea forficalis, and even Pyralis costalis are 

 yet about. The latter I have taken as late as October 21st, and is my 

 instructor as to the direction of the wind, as true as the weather- cock, 

 which I cannot see in the dark. P. costalis appears when the smell of 

 the sugar is carried towards the barns and farm-buildings. Citria 

 (Xanthia) fulvago, with one ab. flavescens, and more rarely C Jiarago, 

 appear amongst the earlier visitors, with innumerable Mellinia 

 circellaris of all colours from pale yellow to bright red. I am on the 

 constant look-out for Mellinia ocellaris amongst them, of course without 

 success. I have wondered why, of late years, the true Xanthias have 

 been so few in numbers. M. gilvago comes now by ones and twos, 

 Tiliacea citrago has not turned up in my garden since the year 1900. 

 It is not too late to-night, for I took the insect on this very night in 

 1897. But it does not come, T. aurago also is among the absentees, 





