NOTES ON COLLECTING. 139 



■myriads. In the wood some distance beyond the keeper's cottage, a path 

 about six or seven feet in width is pretty thickly closed in on either 

 side, with an undergrowth of hornbeam, but with some birch and oak. 

 Most of the large trees set back from the path, and overshadowing it 

 in some places, are oak. This path, for about -iOO yards or more, and 

 on the side facing south-west, presented a sight that I have' rarely seen 

 equalled, never excelled. From the ground to some seven or eight 

 feet in height, the bushes on this side were completely enveloped in 

 thick white silken web spun by larvae that had let themselves down 

 from every leaf and twig, and got entangled in the Aveb spread below, 

 t^truggling, falling, spinning silk all the time, and finally, perhaps, 

 getting up again. There were some Tortricid larviB, but most were 

 larvfe of Geometrids, and so far as I could distinguish, nearly all were 

 Cheiiiiatobia brimiata and Hijhernia defoliaria. There were thousands 

 enveloped in the web, but there were many square yards of thick web 

 in which were no larvie, the spinners having apparently reascended 

 temporarily to a place of safety. Many of the bushes were leafless, as 

 if scorched by a blast, but in reality stripped of every vestige of green ; 

 others were in a transition stage, the growth made being so exceedingly 

 rapid, that at present they aflbrded sufficient food for the armies resting 

 on them, but no doubt a few days will suffice to leave them bare. It 

 was a remarkable sight, and one worth being recorded. No doubt 

 similar sights have fallen under the observation of other entomologists 

 in other districts. We shall be glad to hear if such is the case. — J. W. 

 TuTT, 119, Westcombe Hill, S.E. May 25t/,, 1909. 



Early appearances of Lepidoptera. — A week ago (May 23rd) 

 Cupido miniums was already out on the downs behind Southsea, 

 Aijriades bellan/us is now (May 31st) out commonly, whilst Aricia 

 ■astrarche is in perfect condition, and Augiades si/lranns just coming 

 ■ out. I have ah-eady seen worn I'aran/e )iief/aerci, whilst one fine 

 Hesperia malrae has been taken, only one other being seen. Among other 

 examples an extremely pallid (.'oeuonympha pauiphilits was captured, and 

 two beautiful female Folijotiniiatn^ icarus, the latter species being very 

 -abundant. — A. Sperring, 98, Orchard Road, Southsea. June 1st, 

 1909. 



Abundance of Geometrid larv^. — It may not be too late, by the 

 time this appears, to call attention to the remarkable abundance of 

 Oeometrid and Noctuid larvae almost everywhere, and to suggest that 

 collectors who do not do a few days' beating now, may regret it. 

 During a walk, on May 80th, between Orpington and Chislehurst, 

 the trees were in many places denuded, and, on a boundary stone, 

 about 2-1- ft. high and 1 ft. square at base (from which one learnt that 

 the parishes of Chislehurst, Orpington, St. Mary Cray and St. Paul Cray 

 met at this point), situated under a large oak (with an undergrowth of 

 holly), we counted, on one side of the stone alone, above 120 larva? — 

 Geometrids, Noctuids, Tortricids, and Tineids — of more than twenty 

 different species, and the other sides were equally covered. There 

 were thousands of pupating and starving larvte on the ground, whilst 

 the cracks in the oak-trunks were full of larvae, hiding or spinning up; 

 everywhere throughout the wood, on birch, hazel and oak, the larvae were 

 equally abundant, the numbers of those of Hyheniia aurantiaria and 

 Cheimatobia boreata being almost incredible. At any rate, a beating-tray 

 in the wood through which the main road from Chislehurst to Orpington 



