NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 213 



Selenia illimarta, i S. iunaria, i Notodonta dtctcea, i JV. camelina, i 

 Cidaria russata, 4 Acidalia aversata (2 banded vars.), 2 Triphcena 

 janthitia, i Hadena pisi, i Z^. oleracea, 5 Melatithia ocellata, i TV. 

 <5rt/a, 7 Core7nia unidentaria^ 3 C. ferrugata, 2 Eupithecia pumilata, i 

 Melanippe gaiiata, i ^. subfiilvata, 3 Eupithecia temiiata, 5 Boarinia 

 rhomboidaria, 2 iV] tria?igulu>n, r Leuca?iia pal/ens, and 1 Metrocampa 

 margaritaria, besides lots of others. Nothing whatever comes to 

 sugar, though there are plenty of Nocxu^ flying about, the ornamental 

 heaths being the attraction. I have taken a few Agrotis tritici and 

 one A. pmcox by shaking the crests of the sand-rush. — R. B. 

 Robertson, Sketty Park, Swansea. August, 1891. 



Sphinx convolvuli in the Isle of Man. — On the evening of the 

 25th August, Mr. Devereux captured at light a fine male specimen of 

 Sphinx convolvuli. The insect is in fair condition, with the exception 

 of the left underwing, which is slightly damaged. It measures 5I- inches 

 across the wings from tip to tip, and is now in my collection. During 

 the severe gale on the night of the 25th, the insect was probably 

 blown into the enclosure across from Douglas Head. — H. Shortridge 

 Clarke, 2, Osborne Terrace, Douglas, Isle of Man. Se^pte?nber \th, 

 1891. 



Micropteryx thunbergella. — This species is very common in 

 Chippenham Fen, where I get them swarming about the " Bird-cherry " 

 blossom, and the young fir-cones. One day I saw them so thick in 

 these last, that I boxed fifteen in one large chip box off the cone. — W. 

 Farren, Cambridge. July, 1891. 



Societies. 



South London Entomological Society. — September \oth, 1891. — 

 Mr. Russell exhibited a long series of Argynnis sele/ie, captured in 

 North Hants in July and August ; Mr. Carpenter, Diant/uecia albimacula, 

 bred from Folkestone, also Pericallia syringaj-ia ; Mr. Frohawk, bred 

 and captured Folyommatus phlceas for comparison ; Mr. Joy, two speci- 

 mens of Boarmia repandata from Grange-over-Sands, one intensely 

 black, like those captured and bred by Mr. G. T. Porritt at Hudders- 

 field. This was taken on the outskirts of a larch wood. Mr. Adkin, a 

 series of Psodos coracina showing some variation in the band and 

 ground colour ; Mr. Fenn, a fine variable series of Agrotis corticea from 

 Deal, extending in ground colour from the palest grey to black ; Mr. 

 Barker, Arctia villica with the apical spots more or less united, Spilo- 

 sonia lubricipeda, with the transverse row of spots showing a distinct 

 band, also a dark A. caia ; Mr. Short, vars. of Arctia caia, the fore- 

 wings with the pale parts tinged with red, also Nemeophila plantaginis ; 

 Mr. Tugwell, specimens of English, Scotch and Irish Melitcea aurinia, 

 and drew a comparison between vars. scotica and hibernica. Mr, Turner, 

 various Coleoptera. Mr. Weir drew attention to the fact that there 

 were in existence specimens of A. caia with black antennae. Mr. Car- 

 rington, with reference to Mr. Joy's exhibit, said that melanism was 

 now generally supposed to be due to the darkening of surfaces and trunks 

 of trees, by smoke, etc., or to dark geological strata, the process of 



