290 THE entomologist's record. 



first time in this neighbourhood Plusia festucce. I saw a moth sitting 

 on a blade of Poa aqiiatka, evidendy just emerged, and, on hunting 

 about, soon found half-a-dozen empi}' cocoons and then one full one 

 which emerged soon after. The larva seems to bend down a blade of 

 the grass, and to spin across the angle a thin white cocoon, which is 

 very conspicuous. — E. Buckell, Romsey, Hants. October ist, 189 1. 



King's Lyufi. — I have nothing worth noting concerning my captures 

 this month, save, perhaps, the appearance of Enpithecia pygmceita, of 

 which species I took four specimens (two of them in fine condition) on 

 September 6th. This sun-loving species occurred here as usual about 

 the middle of June this year. Turning to my notes, I find that on 

 June 15th I captured a dozen specimens, about half of them in good 

 condition. My experience of E. pygmeata this season points to the 

 existence of a second brood. Cerastium gloineratuin (mouse-ear chick 

 weed) is, I believe, the principal food of its Iarv?e here, for although I 

 have so far found but one larva, the capsules of this plant have been 

 freely patronised by larvae on the ground where I take the perfect 

 insect. — E. A. Atmore, King's Lynn. September 2,0th, 1891. 



Canterbury. — I have taken this autumn Orthosia macilenta, O. lota, 

 Anchocelis rufina, Xanthia cerago, X. silago, X. aurago, Hoporina 

 croceago, Anchoce/is litura, A. pistacina, Hadena proteiis, Mise/ia 

 oxyacanthcv, Agriopis aprilina, Xyiina semibrimnea, and one Orrliodia 

 erythrocephala van glabra on October 31st. — J. Parry, i, Church 

 Street, Canterbury. 



Culleenanwre. — Ivy is now nearly over, and owing to bad weather it 

 has not been very productive. Calocampa vetusta and Phlogophora 

 ineticulosa were fairly abundant. Orthosia lota, O. macilenta, Orrhodia 

 vaccina ciud O. spadicea were rare, and the usually abundant Xyiina pet rifi- 

 cata entirely absent. The season, though, altogether has been a good 

 one. — P. Russ, CuUeenamore, Sligo. 



'South Devon. — Here, in South Devon, the season has been very unsatis- 

 factory, sugaring almost a failure, I cannot count more than half a dozen 

 fair nights, on each of them there was considerable wind. Frequently on 

 warm, cloudy nights with a westerly wind, no insects have turned up. 

 Light in August and September (I did not try it earlier) was more suc- 

 cessful, and different species seemed to have their own special nights 

 for flight, e.g., Neuria pofularis, Cleora lichenaria, Cidaria silaccata. 

 Larvffi have been fairly abundant, but decidedly below rather than 

 above the average. It seems to me the unusually severe and protracted 

 winter (worse in Devon and Cornwall than elsewhere) destroyed many 

 pupae and hybernating larvae. Lyccena cegon is very abundant on the 

 downs, all over the Lizard promontory, much more so than the common 

 Lyccena icarus. I took the larvae of Hecatera serena in 1890, at MuUion, 

 in abundance. It was feeding on Crepis virens, and in no instance did 

 I find it on either of the sow thistles, though they were very abundant. 

 The larvae feed at night on the inside of the flowers, but are easily taken 

 during the day by gently shaking the plant into a net. They seemed 

 difficult to rear, as many died away when nearly full-fed (I tried change 

 of diet to the sow-thistles, but it was refused), and a few were ichneumoned. 

 Out of more than 100 larvae I succeeded in rearing only 18. Some 

 dozen or so of these died in the pupal stage. — W. S. Riding, Honiton, 

 Devon. October, 1S91. 



