NOTES ON THE LEPIDOPTERA OF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS. 257 



Notes on the Lepidoptera of the Scottish Highlands. 



By DOEOTHY J. JACKSON. 



Last year, 1910, I spent most of the fine days of spring and late 

 summer collecting Lepidoptera in various localities in Ross-shire and 

 Inverness-shire, and thus came across many species which seem to be 

 worth recording for these counties. A few days of brilliant sunshine 

 occurred in the end of March, and the first of these, the 29th, I spent 

 in the birch woods at the Rogie Falls near Strathpeffer (Ross-shire). 

 Here Amphisa prndroiitana was taken flitting about over heather and 

 withered bracken, and several specimens of JhepJios part/ienias were 

 noticed flying actively, and often at a considerable height, amongst the 

 birch trees. This species {A. prodrowana) appears to be quite common 

 in these open heath-carpeted woods, for I took it again next day at 

 Kilmorack, near Beauly. Here it was much attracted by the pools of 

 water in the marshy places beneath the birch trees, pausing beside 

 them for a few moments in its quick erratic flight. In both these 

 localities Sentiuscopis avellanella was fairly common on the trunks of 

 the birch trees ; and Feronea ferriu/ana was readily disturbed by the 

 beating stick, many of the specimens, though in perfect condition, 

 having the ground colour white, the brown markings standing out 

 strongly in contrast. On April 8th some scattered birch trees at Loch 

 Ussie, Strathpeffer, yielded Eriociania seniipnrpurella, in addition to 

 the species already mentioned ; and Lita aetJiiops was beaten from 

 a gorse bush amongst the heather in the same locality. 



The next noteworthy day was June 27th, when, at Kincraig, Inver- 

 gorden, Pi/rodes rliediella was beaten from a plum-tree, Gracilaria 

 alchimidla from oak, and Oniix scoticella from mountain-ash. PJn/l- 

 loporia biatrujella was taken amongst some small birch bushes, Litho- 

 colletis emberizaepennella was disturbed from honeysuckle, and L. 

 quinqaef/iittella was locally common beside some low-growing sallow 

 [Salix repens (?)] amongst the heather and grass at the edge of a bog. 

 Oiiher Lithocolletidae occurring in the neighbourhood of Swordale 

 (Evanton) were L. caledoniella, Sta., taken in a birch wood on June 

 26th ; L. pomifoUella^''' reared in May, 1910, from mines in hawthorn 

 leaves collected the previous autumn ; L. klepmannella and [j. 

 froelichiella, reared in 1911, from mines in alder leaves taken in 

 October, 1910; and L. spinolella, which in early July (along with 

 Teleia notatella) frequented some small bushes of Sali.v caprea growino- 

 on the banks of a moorland bui^n. 



One of the most interesting localities in this neighbourhood is 

 Nigg Sutor, a high rocky promontory at the north side of the entrance 

 to the Cromarty Firth. Here, between the precipitous clifis, are dry 

 grassy slopes covered with Heliantliemmn *•((///«(¥ and other low growing 

 plants. These are the haunts of Aricia astrarc/ie var. artaxerxes 

 which I took in fair abundance flying over its foodplant on July 9th, 

 a hot sunny day. The specimens were in good condition and exhibited 

 considerable variation in the number and size of the marginal spots on 

 the wings on the upper-surface, and in the presence or absence of a 

 black central dot in the white spots on the underside of the wings. 

 One (? specimen had the ground colour of the upper surface 



* Most probably L. oxyacanthae, Frey. See Ent. Mo. Blag., 1899, p. 250.— A.S. 

 October, 1911. 



