NOTES FROM GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 57 



I found no lai'\'iv of these insects, and hardly any of the leaves showed 

 signs of having heen eaten by lepidopterous larvae. On one little tree, 

 not more than three feet high, I found four empty egg-shells of ( '. 

 rinnlo, but there were no signs of the larvfe, and I am sure, if four of 

 these voracious caterpillars had fed up to full-size, this small bush would 

 have been stripped of its foliage. On the outskirts of this group of little 

 poplars was a huge nest of Avood-ants built on the stump of a tree, and the 

 surrounding bushes swarmed with these unpleasant insects. Do they 

 destroy caterpillars?'' I am wondering if the absence of larva? was due to 

 them. Although lepidopterous larv;t were not to be found, I noticed 

 plenty of coleopterous larvn? feeding gregariously in small batches on 

 the surface of the leaves, and a few larvae of saw-tiies, so they, 

 evidently, had been left in peace. On one of the bushes furthest fi-oni 

 the ants' nest, I found one young larva of C. bifida and no ants. This 

 makes me feel more inclined to think that the ants had cleared the 

 other bushes of lepidopterous larvfe. 



While passing through, at a quarter to seven (p.m.), on August 

 10th, one of the special haunts of Kmnteleaia hlandiata, I noticed several 

 of these moths flying slowly, in the evening sunlight, above the 

 Kiip/irasia officinalis. Guessing that they were females ovipositing, I 

 watched one in particular. She at length settled on the very tip of a 

 shoot, and rested in a very erect position (one might almost say 

 perpendicularly) with wings considerabl}' raised behind her back; then, 

 curving her body slightly, she laid a single egg in the interstices of the 

 crown of young leaves and buds. After ovipositing she rested in this 

 position for several seconds before continuing her flight. 



I will now conclude my notes by mentioning some of my captures 

 during the year, to which I have not already referred : Hepialm 

 hiunnU. — An enormous male, netted on June 19th, measuring 62mm. 

 in expanse. I think this must be almost a record. llylophila 

 prasinana. — Netted at dusk, yola coufiimlia. — On tree trunks in May 

 and June. Sj/ilnsoDia iiiendica. — One $ flying in the daytime on May 

 29th. Denias coryli and Fumea casta. — Bred. Ihepana falcataria. — I 

 bred, on August 11th, a rather nice example of the 2nd brood with all 

 the wings suffused with purplish-grey. ]>. binaria. — July 80tb. 

 Leiocampa dictaeoides. — One larva oft' birch. PU'vustotiia palpina, 

 Gonophora derasa, Thi/atira batis, Cyuiatup/iura fiiictiiosa and Acronycta 

 Uforina. — All netted at dusk. I also found larvtB of the last named on 

 birch. Ciisjiidia iiieyacepltala. — One larva oft' aspen. This moth, so 

 plentiful about London, is, apparently, very uncommon in this 

 district. Is it more especially an urban than a rural species '? Ayrotis 

 niyricans. — One flying round a flowering ]}rivet bush. Is this moth 

 quite as common as the text-books make out? A. striynla. — Netted 

 at dusk over heather. Aplecta prasina. — Netted at dusk. Hecatera 

 serena. — Bred from larvae found feeding on the flowers of Crepis. 

 Folia fiavicincta. — Bred. Cleoceris viniinalis. — Netted at dusk. 

 Taeiiiocampa opiiiia. — At light on April 9th. Pltisia pulchrina. — Netted 

 at dusk. Heliodes arbuti. — This little day-flier seems very fond of 

 daisies. Phytoiuetra aenca. — ^Besides meeting with this moth in May, 

 I captured a female of the 2nd brood on July 30th. Sarrothripa 

 rcrayana. — I netted a very worn specimen on June 21st ! Eiididia 



* I have seen these ants coming down the trunks of trees with small larvae in 

 their months.— (H.. J. T.) 



