LEPIDOPTERA IN THE WYE VALLEY DURING 1912. 85 



Lepidoptera in the Wye Valley during 1912. 



By J. F. BIRD. 



Last year may well be compared to the curate's famous egg. 

 Even if it was disappointing at times it was undoubtedly " good in 

 parts ! " As will be seen further on, from the dates of the first 

 appearance of each insect met with during the first half of the year, 

 the season in the Wye Valley commenced early. LarvtB were most 

 abundant in May and June, and most of the oaks in this district 

 suffered more or less considerably from their ravages ; some trees, 

 indeed, being very nearly denuded of all their foliage. Unfortunately, 

 the lovely weather we all enjoyed in the spring did not continue, and 

 the promise of another fine summer was not fulfilled ; otherwise, 

 judging from the abundance of insects up to the end of June, I am 

 sure last year, following as it did the wonderful season of 1911, would 

 have proved, entomologically, a veritable annus viirabilis. Notwith- 

 standing the low mean temperature during the wet and sunless 

 summer, a few species, as a rule single-brooded, produced individuals 

 of a second emergence during the season. Several common insects, 

 however, were conspicuous by their absence or else extremely scarce, 

 yet I was able to add the names of 15 species of Macro-lepidoptera to 

 our local list, not previously observed by us in this district, ri:.., 

 Aricia iiiedon, Melitaea aurinia, Siiierinthus ocellatiis (obtained by a 

 friend at Llandogo), Hemari^ titi/iin, Drepnna ctiUraria, Drymouia 

 ehannia, Asphalia ridens, A(/rotis cinerect, A. covticea, Cncnllia vt'ihasci, 

 Pliisia iiioneta, Biipalaa piniaria, Apoc/ieiiiia hispidaria, Antidca 

 riibidata and Eiipithecia dodoneata. 



In the following list of the Macro-lepidoptera met with during the 

 year I have, with a few exceptions, included only "wild" records; 

 bred records being mentioned when specimens were not otherwise 

 observed in the imaginal state. The list is arranged in chronological 

 sequence and show^s, I think, how the forward season was gradually 

 checked by the cold and wet summer until it became normal, or even 

 a little late. As most of my notes refer to the parish of St. Briavels, 

 Gloucestershire, I need only state localities when the earliest record 

 occurred elsewhere in the district. I must also mention that both my 

 father and I kept separate records of the earliest appearance of the 

 " macros " during the season, and to make these notes as complete as 

 possible, I have included all the species observed by him alone and also 

 used his dates of occurrence whenever they were earlier than mine. 

 During October and November I was away in Cornwall, so all the 

 notes during those months, as well as most of the Monmouthshire 

 records, are his : — 



February 8th. — Orrhodio vaccinii (Tintern, Mon.).— Hybernated 

 specimens seen up to March 9th. 



February 10th. — Hybeinia leucophaearia. — Commoner than usual. 

 Besides obtaining ab. maruionnaria, I took a handsome cream-coloured 

 specimen with the central band boldly outlined in jet-black. Fhujalia 

 pedaria (Llandogo, Mon.). 



February 12th. — Hyberiiia pyoyemuiaria (Tintern). 



February 18th. — Gonepteryx rhaiiini. — Hybernated specimens 

 were seen on the wing well into July when the larvae on the buck- 

 thorn were quite an inch long. I'aiwssa in. — July 8th was the latest 



April 15th, 1913. 



