114 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



other low plants have to be utilized for sugaring, but notwithstanding 

 the absence of shade, a calm, warm night was generally successful even 

 with a bright moon. — E. W. Brown, Shorncliffe Camp. May, i8gi. 



Effect of Moonlight. — Messrs. Robinson, Reid and Brown have 

 pretty well settled this. The moon is not much of a drawback if un- 

 accompanied by frost, but it very often happens to be frosty when the 

 moon is bright- and atmosphere clear. I never have much hope on 

 misty or dewy evenings, and am very seldom disappointed at getting 

 but little, after going round the sugar. — J. Collins, Warrington. May 

 2T^rd, 1 89 1. 



Killing Lepidoptera. — ^I was interested in the notes {Record, vol. ii., 

 pp. 67, 68) on killing lepidoptera (I would never think of leaving 

 specimens in the cyanide jar longer than is necessary to kill them). 

 I think potassium cyanide answers every purpose if properly used. I 

 make my cyanide bottle in the following way : — I put in the bottom cf 

 the bottle about an ounce of cyanide in pieces about the size of a 

 small chestnut, and cover these with dry plaster of paris ; then I pour 

 in plaster of the consistency of molasses, sufficient to make a top over 

 all of \ inch in thickness. In killing large tuoths I use a saturated 

 solution of cyanide and introduce it with a toothpick or splinter of 

 wood. This is all introductory to a litde point I wish to make in 

 regard to a plan that I know of no one else having adopted. Coming 

 home tired, I have been obliged to spread (set) my treasures to keep them 

 from stiffening. This spreading has to be done when one is tired and 

 would prefer to rest My plan now is to put all my specimens in the 

 relaxing jar after returning home, and T then spread them at my 

 leisure, and I find them perfectly relaxed. I can thus leave them for 

 forty-eight hours, if necessary. In this way I avoid any stiffening that 

 may be produced by the cyanide, and spread them the next day, or the 

 third day after capture. Chloroform, I find, stiffens the thoracic muscles 

 to such an extent that I never use it. Ammonia I do not like, having 

 tried it and given it up. I believe that giving the sand in the relaxing 

 jar a good stirring round before putting in specimens helps to prevent 

 mould, as does also putting in a fresh piece of paper to put the 

 specimens on, if left over twenty-four or forty-eight hours. I think the 

 plan of not spreading the insects when tired and played out, and 

 putting them in the relaxing jar until you are ready for them, may be 

 new to many of your readers. — Henry Skinner, American Entomo- 

 logical Society, Logan Square, Philadelphia. June \']t}i, 1891. 



Times of Emergence. — I quite agree with Dr. Buckell as to the 

 superior value of field observations in this matter, and hope to see 

 records with regard to many species. On June i6th I happened to be 

 hunting oak trunks near here, and found a $ Amphidasys betularia 

 just out of the pupa, running very fast up a tree trunk at 6 p.m. The 

 wings were duly expanded about an hour after. Next day at 5 p.m. I 

 found a freshly-emerged Smerinthus tilice, on an elm trunk, with wings 

 folded over its back and still limp. — G. H. Ravnor, Victoria House, 

 Brentwood. June 20th, 1891. 



Lepidoptera of Sidmouth, Devon. — An account ot the Lepidoptera 

 of Sidmouth may prove of some interest to the readers of the Record. 

 I have been collecting here for three years, with the exception of 

 seven or eight weeks during the earlier part of each season, from 



