46 THE entomologist's record. 



days gone by I am alluding to : and either I had a much better, 

 what the boys at school called an "insect eye" than I have ever had 

 since, or our neighbourhood of Liverpool is not so prolific, but never 

 have I met with the same success in searching trees and palings as 

 we did in our school days. I cannot say how many years ago it is 

 since the method of attracting Lepidoptera by means of sugar, etc., 

 was discovered, but I believe Henry Doubleday was the discoverer. 

 In a yard, adjoining his place of business at Epping, were some 

 empty sugar hogsheads, and one night he was surprised by finding a 

 specimen of Catocala tiupta regaling itself This gave the suggestion 

 which has since proved so successful. Speaking of Catocala 7iupia in 

 connection with Henry Doubleday, reminds me of an incident which 

 I well remember. The school at Epping was a Friends' school, and 

 we all used to attend the Friends' meeting, which was mostly a silent 

 one, of about an hour's duration. At one of these Sunday morning 

 meetings, I well remember the consternation occasioned by one of 

 these lovely moths dashing about amongst us, till at last it made a 

 great noise fluttering and tapping against the glass of one of the 

 windows. Very well I remember Doubleday going to the window and 

 capturing the prize, much to the amusement of all present. What has 

 been said about the discovery of the attractiveness of sugar, may be 

 also said of light. Some years ago, an occasional specimen of 

 Cheimatobia horeata taken in the daytime in Pettypool "Wood, Dela- 

 mere, was thought to be very rare indeed ; but one night some 

 entomologists, visiting the locality with lanterns with the object of 

 sugaring, were astonished to find the undergrowth perfectly swarming 

 with the moth — both male and female. Some years ago, in the 

 company of Mr. Nicholas Cooke, Mr. Greening and Mr. Owen, I had 

 the pleasure of witnessing hundreds of these, mixed with C. brmnata, 

 at the same locality. A favourite way of capturing insects was to 

 beat or kick the stems of the young trees, holding a clap-net under 

 for the larvoe or imagines to fall into. On several occasions I en- 

 countered Mr. Doubleday and his constant companion, Mr. English, 

 thus engaged. Once asked what they were seeking, they reply was — 

 Notodonta dodoficca. English was the son of a gardener. After 

 receiving an elementary school education, he served as an assistant 

 in the shop of Messrs. Doubleday, and there imbibed his enthusiastic 

 love of Natural History. He was an ardent collector and a constant 

 companion of Doubleday in his entomological rambles. He went for 

 his master to the " Fen " country, and was the last to take the two 

 species of Lepidoptera for which the district was noted, viz. : — 

 Polyojiunatus hippotlwe {dispar) and Noctica subrosea, both now lost to 

 these Isles. For sixpence each I purchased (from English) four speci- 

 mens of Polyomviatus hippothoe, the Large Copper, two of which I still 

 possess, the other two I gave away to my friend Mr. Benjamin Cooke. 

 I may, perhaps, here mention that the nets used for capturing our 

 spoil were the large clap-nets made mostly of green gauze. Double- 

 day and others, however, used white gauze for night work. Such were 

 our schooldays. The few weeks' summer holidays were devoted by 

 myself and brother to collecting Lepidoptera. It was usual for the 

 lamily to locate, at these seasons, mostly at Dover or Brighton. This 

 afforded us grand opportunities for collecting. Our usual daily pro- 



