•64 THE entomologist's uecord. 



disappointment of the year. Tempted by the exceptional conditions, I 

 carried heavj' apparatus — poles, sheet, etc. — three miles to a particularly 

 likely-looking marsh by Ormesby Broad, and the sum total of visitors to 

 the sheet were three common Crawbi, Litlmsia (jriseola, and one Uivula 

 acriccalix. The latter were swarming at dusk, in company with many 

 other things, including a fine ? Schoowbiiis f/if/antelliis, and a nice lot 

 of Aridalia eiiiari/inata. There was no apparent reason why they 

 should shun the light, but so it was on this, and on every other 

 occasion on which I tried it. I did no collecting before Easter, but 

 when on a visit to Hindhead, I worked the sallows for several nights 

 (March 24th to 28th). There wereonly half-a-dozen convenient bushes, 

 but on these, moths swarmed. Taeniocamjia pidvcndeuta {cni la) and 

 J. stabilis of course constituted the bulk, but amongthem Avere some nice 

 XyloccDiipa lit/mriina, Taeniocanipa miinda, Panolis piuijierda, and one 

 good female Ikisycauipa ruhiyinea. The last named, after six weeks' 

 feeding, laid one infertile ovum, and then drowned herself in moist 

 sugar, incidentally destroying herself as a specimen. Brephns 

 paithenias was on the wing in great force, and Asphalia jiaciconiis at 

 rest on stunted birches in numbers — frequently three or four on one 

 small bush, and remarkably conspicuous. In nearly every case they 

 were resting on twigs about as thick as themselves, around which their 

 "wings were partially rolled. The habits of the species are curious. 

 Apparently they rarely fly, as at least 80 per cent, of those I left on 

 the birches remained in the same position day after day during the 

 length of my visit. On the other hand, the occasional afternoon flight 

 that I had heard of, but had never seen, was fully confirmed. Each 

 afternoon two or three were seen flying swiftly in the sunshine, 

 through the birches and over the adjoining heather. I only succeeded 

 in netting and examining three of these, and all were females, more or 

 less worn. 



After a long interval of inactivity, I had my first treacling experience, 

 when staying the week-end with a friend in North Berkshire. This 

 Saturday, June 4th, was my one big " Butterfly" day of the year. We 

 visited a select corner, where Melitaea aiin'nia (arteDiis) was on the wing 

 in scores. Some beautiful forms were selected including three nice 

 upperside and half-a-dozen underside varieties. Ilaineari^ Incina 

 abounded, and I have never seen so many Kuehloe card amines before, 

 although they were mostly remarkably small in size. Larvfe of 

 Calliiiiorpha di)iiiiiiida were feeding on wild hops in an adjoining copse, 

 and some distance away, sembling with a female Aei/eria splien'ifurDiu 

 resulted in the capture of six males. In the evening a row of treacled 

 posts swarmed with useful yoctnac — large numbers of Xi/lophasia rarea, 

 and some var. comhiista, a couple of dozen Eadena adasta, and ten 

 beautiful H. (jcnistae, besides many others. The same ground, later on, 

 yielded to my friend a quantity of Aplecta prasina {Iierbida), A. advena, 

 and Nei(7-ia saponariae, a dozen or so each of Xocttia stii/niatica, 

 Triphaena urbona (subsequa), and many other things. Larvffi beating in 

 an oak wood the following afternoon produced little else than full-fed 

 Bitlnjs quercHH in bulk, and a single Hijlophila bicolorana. Odd specimens 

 of Drepana haiiiida, Eunjmene dolabraria, and Kcmeophda plantaginia 

 turned up, but the weather was breaking, and treacle that night was 

 impossible. 



One of the greatest treacling experiences, in point of numbers, I 



