NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 255 



are most easily reared, and when small in the feeding boxes make a 

 slight noise like the scratching of a pin on paper, as they increase in 

 size the sound more resembles the ticking of a watch. The larv?e of 

 Notodonta dromedarius were fairly plentiful on birch from 2glh July to 

 loth August. I took Sphinx /igus^ri and Chcerocampa elpenor at honey- 

 suckle, at which flowers Plusia iota, Cucullid iimbratica and Odonestis 

 potatoria were numerous, and I also captured at honeysuckle three 

 specimens of Xylophasia rurea var. combiista on one evening, and 

 another on the next. Mr. C. G. Barrett, who has seen two of the 

 insects, makes the following remarks : — " No. i. X. rurea var. coinbiista, 

 a beautiful dark specimen of this red form. No. 2. X. rurea var. co/n- 

 busta, a curious specimen on account of the shape of its orbicular 

 stigma." Hadejia deniina, Apaviea geiiiina, Leucania comma, L. pallens 

 and many of the common NocxUiE swarmed on the flowers of the 

 rhododendrons during the first week in July. On June 6th, the pupa 

 oi Acro?iycta c7//// hatched, the larva having been brought me in Septem- 

 ber last by a boy who found it when picking blackberries. Eudidia mi 

 and E. glyphica were fairly numerous, but although these moths are 

 accounted connnon, I have not yet ever found them very abundant. I 

 took H. tenebrata {arbuti) in plenty, flying in the hottest sunshine from 

 12 to 3 in the afternoon, about the middle of June. Many of the 

 common Geometers did not show in great numbers owing no doubt to 

 the weather — the " Thorns " have been more or less plentiful. C. 

 elifiguaria very common, Odontopera bidentata also. Besides these I took 

 E. dolobraria, Selenia iuuaria, Emiomos alniaria, erosaria and quercinara. 

 In June, Coremia designata was in plenty on the trunks of apple trees, and 

 sparingly up to date (end of August), B. gemmaria, T. luridata, G. 

 papilionaria, E. porata, Astheiia blomeri, L. adustata, L. rivata, C. 

 ribesiaria, C. silaccata, E. affinitata and E. decolorata. On 13th June 

 I captured, flying at dusk, a few specimens of M. unangulafa, but 

 never saw any except on that one evening. The Eupithecice are repre- 

 sented as follows : — E. coronata, exitjunta, irriguata, virgaureata, 

 scabiosafa, oblougafa and castigata ; and the Micros, by JV. sivammer- 

 damella, H. nemorella, Cero'Joma radiatella (varieties), E. pseudospre- 

 tella, E. fenestrella, H. fabriciaua, H. pflugia7ia, P. tripuucta7ia, C. 

 muscula/ia, H. cirsiana, -D, su/p/iurella, C. flavicaput, G- campoliliana, 

 L. luzella and very many others. The larvae of Pieris rapce have been 

 more than usually abundant, and have caused damage to several garden 

 flowers, particularly to the tropjeolums and mignonette (Newman men- 

 tions this particularly), indeed larvae of all sorts have been by no means 

 scarce. I have now some 400 to 500 feeding and have also a large 

 number of pupae. — J. N. Still, Tiverton. August 28///, 1S91. 



Liverpool. — This year has been pretty bad here, worse than last. The 

 rain has spoilt everything. However, larvae have been fairly plentiful 

 lately, especially Cuspidates, such as Notodonta dictcea, N. ziczac, tV. 

 didcEoides, N. dromedarius, N. camelina and Drepana falcula. Heliothis 

 itiarginata, too, has been fairly common on restharrow on the sandhills. 

 I was in Simonswood Moss on Saturday, the 19th inst., and just at dusk, 

 as we were leaving for the station, the place became alive with Celoiua 

 haworthii, mostly in bad condition, as this species always seems to be. 

 I had never seen it in a quantity before ; the specimens were obtained 

 through laborious searching amongst the heather. If anv one does not 



