NOTES FROM GLOUCESTliRSHIRE. 55 



Notes from Gloucestershire: Lepidoptera in 1910. 



By J. F. BIRD. 



The following notes relate to Lepidoptera taken or observed during 

 1910 in St. Briavels, a large Wye-side parish in Gloucestershire. The 

 season was very unfavourable so far as the Diurni were concerned, and 

 as I captured nothing worth noting in this group my notes will, 

 with one exception, deal only with the Heterocera. 



On June 2nd, I watched, with interest, a female Enchlo'e 

 canlaiiiineK busily occupied in ovipositing on Lioiaria bicintis (honesty). 

 She fluttered ai'ound a large clump of this plant in the garden for 

 several minutes ; flitting from plant to plant to lay her eggs, and 

 frequently visiting the flowers for refreshment. Quite a large number 

 of eggs were laid, all deposited singly on the stalks of the withering 

 flowers and young seed-vessels, and also on the flat sides of the nearly 

 fully developed green discs. I also found the larvje in the garden 

 feeding on the long seed-pods of Hespeiis matronalis. I may mention, 

 c'H iiassant, that the flowers of this Crncifer are attractive to night- 

 flying moths, especially the smaller (Teouietvides and Pionea forjiralis. 



I paid special attention to the two species of Zi/[/aena common in 

 this district, i.e., A. fiU\)i'ndnlac and Z. trifolii. The former is much 

 the commoner and is well distributed, while the latter is rather local 

 and keeps more to rough land, but I met with several flying in the 

 company of Z. /ili/ifudiilae in the hayfields. Finding both these 

 species equally common on one rough jjieee of land, I kept a look-out 

 for mixed pairs, but although I came across a good many of both 

 species in cop., I did not meet with a single case of cress-pairing. 

 On June 21st, I observed a peculiar specimen of Z. tilipendulae, flying 

 in one of my meadows while the grass was being mown, which 

 appeared, while on the wing, to have one white hindwing. It kept 

 out of my reach by flying over the uncut grass, and when it settled, 

 did so some distance from where the grass had been mown, so I was 

 then unable to capture it. Next day, however, I met with it again in 

 an orchard adjoining the field it frequented the day before and 

 captured it with my hand just as it flew down to feed at the blossom 

 of Centaurea nii/ra. When I came to set it, I found that its right 

 hindwing was pale yellow slightly tinged with reJdish towards the 

 base ; otherAvise the specimen, a male, was quite typical. I collected 

 a quantity of Zj'gaenid cocoons in the hopes of obtaining aberrations, 

 but the only remarkable specnnen was the last one bred, on July 11th, 

 a female with the left hindwing totally absent. From the cocoons 

 obtained I bred two examples of Z. tiifolii ; one from a rather flimsy, 

 greyish cocoon spun on heather, while that from which the other 

 emerged differed in no way, so far as I could see, from those of Z. 

 filipciidiihie. I caj)tured the following aberrations of Z. trifulii which 

 are, perhaps, worth mentioning : — (1) Two examples of ab. hancdis : 

 the 8rd and 4th spots are united with the basal pair. (2) A male 

 with the spots and hindw'ings orange ; the 3rd and 4th spots are 

 united and form one large blotch, while the 5th spot is larger than 

 usual ; farther, the hindwings have very broad borders. 



During the beginning of June, when thunderstoru^^s were, I believe, 

 of daily occurrence throughout the country for a week or more, I have 

 no doubt users of illuminated moth-traps must have secured an 



