254 THE entomologist's record. 



tions, sugar has been very unproductive so far as the autumn species 

 are concerned, Asphalia diluta, Anchocelis riifiiia etc., being very 

 scarce. I took a fine specimen of Liiperina cespitis on Strensall 

 Common in September, my first capture of this insect, and I had 

 another take, new to me, on September 30th, viz., a fine example of 

 Efitwmos fuscantaria, $ , which has given me a nice lot of ova. Con- 

 sidering the great quantity of ash around York, this species may not be 

 uncommon, but the trees being of good size, beating for the larvae 

 would be a tiresome job. I am pleased to record that the larvae of 

 Eupithecia albipundata is in plenty this year, and, as I have taken a fair 

 number, I hope to breed the var. angelicaia, which this spring was bred 

 by one or two of my York friends in good numbers. This species 

 must feed till almost the close of the year as they are to be found 

 to-day no bigger than if just hatched, whilst others graduate up to full- 

 fed. I specially noticed that the angelica growing in those parts of the 

 wood where the late storms would strike most, yielded very few larvae, 

 whilst in the more sheltered parts plenty were obtained. — S. Walker. 

 October i()ih, i8gi. 



North London. — Larvffi are swarming. Mamestra persicarics and 

 Arctia lubricipeda devour everything that comes in their path, in which 

 they are assisted by M. brassiccc, Hadena oieracea, Euplexia lucipara, 

 NcBnia typica, A. vienthastri and many others. Tree-feeding larvae are 

 also common. Megacephala larvae may be found in plenty on the trunks 

 of the black poplars which have been planted so extensively in this part 

 of London. I have usually found them commonest on sunny days, 

 half curled round in a crack of the bark, and basking in the sun. A 

 nice lot of Phorodesma sniaragdai ia larvre, from Benfleet, are now feeding 

 on some plants of wormwood and southernwood in our garden. They 

 have surely been more plentiful this year, for about 260 were taken by 

 myself and three friends on the same ground. I found no on a patch 

 of wormwood about the size of a kitchen table. — A. U. Battley, Sussex 

 House, Amhurst Park, September 2,0th, 1891. 



Tiverton. — I do not consider that the present summer has been a 

 very prolific one in this county owing to the windy, wet, unsetded 

 weather prevailing during the greater part of the last two months. 

 During the fine spell in June I took a good many Leucophasia sinapis ; 

 these butterflies seem most restricted in their range, and feebly fly one 

 after another, following the same route. I failed to find any of the 

 second brood. Argynnis eiiphrosyne and A. selene were abundant, and 

 Nola cristulalis was common on the trunks of apple trees. On May 

 i8th, a $ Arctia fidiginosa laid eggs which hatched on June 7th, the 

 young larvae fed well and grew rapidly. The first spun up on July 

 23rd, the imago appearing on August r5th. Demas coryli has been 

 most abundant, and seems to be by no means particular in the date of 

 hatching. The first imago came out in the pupa box on May ist ; on 

 the 15th a ? laid eggs which hatched on June loth, and were pupce 

 by August r3th. On June loth, I beat a $ from beech— ova on 

 June nth — the larw'e are now turning. Throughout August I procured 

 at least 150 larvae of all sizes from the beech hedges, and I think it 

 quite possible to take as many more. Considering the habit the larv^ 

 have of spinning quite a small web and living in it between united 

 leaves, it is extraordinary that any can be procured by beating. They 



