NOTES ON COLLECTING. 233 



Beacon, but restricted to two valleys as far as I have yet ascertained. 

 I was interested in taking Apion pubescens, Kirby, in some numbers at 

 the roots of Filaf/o : previously, only odd specimens had turned up 

 by sweeping long grasses. — Id. 



CoLEOPTERA AT RuiSLip RESERVOIR, MIDDLESEX. — While Searching 

 for Lathrnbiuiii filiforme, Grav., among reed debris and rotten wood in 

 January, I took several examples of Lathrohinm pmictatum, Zett. In 

 company with Mr. Donisthorpe, I made another outing in April ; the 

 best captures were : — Anchomenus livens, GylL, from thick moss ; 

 E7-irrhini(s scirpi, F., among reed stems, and Bhinoncus (/ramineus, F., 

 by sifting dead leaves, rotten wood, and humus mould. — Id. 



:iSlOTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Lepidoptera in the Teignmouth DISTRICT.— The continuation of my 

 collecting notes {anted pp. 186-187) will, I am afraid, prove disappoint- 

 ing reading, for the entire month of June was exceedingly wet, cold, 

 and miserable, consequently but little out-of-door work could be 

 indulged in. Having a large number and a great variety of larvae 

 feeding, however, I was kept quite fully occupied, but one thing that 

 struck me very forcibly, w^hen gathering food for them, was the number 

 of dead larvae that were met with under the hedges and trees. At first, 

 I thought this mortality must be due to the attack of ichneumons, but, 

 in examining various specimens, I found no trace of any such cause, and 

 consider now that it was due to the inordinate quantity of honey-dew 

 on all leaves and plants. This was more noticeable, perhaps, in July. 

 Larvse of Cerura vinula and Notodonta ziczac were in great force on 

 sallows this year, and the former I picked up dead, three-parts grown, 

 in numbers. It seems to me that Euchlo'e cardanunes and Callophrys 

 rubi were the most abundant of all the butterflies except Pieris 

 brassieae, P. rapae and P. napi. Strangely enough, although I only 

 saw two 2 s of the first-named, yet I came across the larvae on taver- 

 mustard in numbers wherever that plant grew. Webs of Lachneis 

 lanestris were more plentiful than ever this year, in some parts nearly 

 every blackthorn bush was adorned with a web, but the majority of 

 the larviTB were drowned. About the middle of July, Cidaria picata 

 was the most plentiful Geometrid (except Melamppe montanata, M. 

 rivata, Cidaria associata, Enbolia viensuraria),yvh.ilst2Iela7ithia unangn- 

 lata, Acidalia emanfinota, Ephjra porata, and EJ. pnnctaria, w^ere well 

 represented. Mullein plants, as well as figworfc, were crowded 

 with larvse of Cucidlia verbasci ; bladder-campion yielded larvfe of 

 Eupitliecia venosata, Dianthoecia carpophaqa, and, I presume, D. cucnbali, 

 although the larvas may be those of I), capsincola /, in astonishing 

 numbers. During the first week in August, Eugoiiia polychloros yvaa to 

 be met with in goodly numbers. This is an insect that rather puzzles 

 me down here, as, for some seasons, one will not meet with a single 

 specimen, and, the next, one will find the broods of larvfe on sallow and 

 elm quite commonly. Lithosia lurideola, L. f/riscola and its var. 

 stramineola, and Calligenia miniata, were plentiful all through this 

 month. Lithosia caniola appears to be practically w^orked out in this 

 neighbourhood, and I only know of very few taken here this season. 

 Perhaps burning the herbage along the clift's may account for this, 

 however. The " mere collector " must not be blamed for evervthino; ! 



