NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC, 17 



Mr. Raid's Crambi appear to fly mainly before dark ; but, in the 

 beginning of August, we found that they flew considerably after dark. 

 From 9 to lo p.m. we took males of C. margaritei/us, C. iitquifiateHiis 

 and C. culmelliis, flying very low, from one blade of grass to another, in 

 search of females. It seems to me that this is the only time when it is 

 possible to obtain the ? . I have never seen them fly, and do not think 

 they could fly very much with such short wings and long (and broad 

 also) abdomina. — G. A. Harker, Liverpool. October i8//;, i8gi. 



Attractiveness of Flowers to Moths. — Having for the last 

 season or two been tryipg to ascertain which flowers may be considered 

 the most attractive to moths, the results may be interesting to your 

 readers. In order to experiment and give each a fair trial, I have had 

 beds sown of over a dozen different plants, amongst them being the 

 greatest acknowledged attractive plants. I have come to the conclusion 

 that the spur valerian is far the most successful one, having taken on 

 its flowers upwards of fifty species of lepidoptera, many of which'appear 

 in swarms. This year's captures have been as follows : — Chmrocajupa 

 porcellus, Urapicryx sambucata, Rumia cratcega/a, OdontoPera bidentata, 

 Boarmia repandata, B. rhoviboidaria, Acidalia bisetata^ Lii^dia adustata, 

 Larentia didy»iata, Hypsipetes elufafa, Melanippc sociata, M. montanata, 

 Scotosia dubifata, Cidaria t'ussata, C. hmnanata, Anaitis plagiaia, 

 Leuccmia comma, Z. pallens, Xylophasia mrea, X. lithoxylea, X. polyodon, 

 Mamestra brassicce, Apamea basilinea, A. oculea, Afiafia stri_^Uis, 

 Caradrina cubicularis, Agroiis se<^etu)?i, A. exclamationis, A. coificea, 

 TryphcBiia Jatithi^a, T. orbotia, T. pronuba, Noc'ua tria?iguli/m, JV. 

 xmithographa, Polia chi, Euplexia lucipara, Hadena dentina, H. okracea, 

 ff. pi:i, Cucullia umbrntica, Pliisia chrysitis, P. iota, P. v-aureum, P. 

 gamma and Amphipyra tragopogotiis. — G. Booth, Grange-over-Sands. 



Abundance of Larv^. — Larvae here, as elsewhere, have been 

 abundant. In the mosses Ciispidia leporina, Notodonta camelina, N. 

 dromedariiis, Drepana falcula and N. dictcBoides have been much com- 

 moner than usual, as also has N. ziczac, N. dictcea and Sphinx ocellatus 

 on the sandhills. — Geo. A. Harker, Liverpool. October \Zth, 1891. 



I have found the past summer more productive of larvae than the 

 imago, and I have taken many good sorts, including Notodonta dictcea, 

 N. dromedarius, N. camelina, Ciispidia alni, C. megacephala and Demas 

 coryli \ the latter has been most abundant, I have beaten out of beech 

 and oak, during the last two months, twenty-five dozens of the larvre, 

 but I never came across more than one moth. — J. N. Still, 41, West- 

 cliff Terrace, Seaton, Devon. September "jth, 1891. 



I am glad Mr. Tutt has called attention to the abundance of larvae 

 of Spilosoma menthasfri and ^S". lubricipeda this season. In this district 

 they were in extraordinary numbers, the gardens being completely 

 stripped by them even to the rows of cabbages and clumps of horse- 

 radish in the cottage gardens. At the back of the factory here there 

 is about half an acre of waste ground, where for the past few years I 

 have encouraged a fine growth of dock and other plants useful for feed- 

 ing. There was a perfect army of the larvai here, and as they grew in 

 size they stripped everything to the ground, leaving the tall stems of 

 dock and willow herb quite bare. It would be interesting to know if 

 they have been generally common. — J. A. Cooper, i, Sussex Villas, 

 Leytonstone, E. November \2th, 1891. 



