180 THE entomologist's REf'OUI). 



have been in other places. I have seen no crowded nights, but 

 neither have there been any perfect blanks. Nothing rare came to the 

 sweets, but I took a nice series of Neuria saponarice and some beautiful 

 forms of Xylophasid vwiwglypha. At flowers (sweetwilliams and pinks) 

 were many Plusia chtysitis, a few P. ioia and one Hecatera serena. I 

 have had very little opportunity for day collecting, but I have heard 

 of Colias edusa being seen here. Micros are abundant, and at present 

 some nice forms of Cerostotiia costella and Pcedisca solandriana are out. 

 Larvse of Laverna raschkieUa are abundant, whilst Sophronia pare?i- 

 thesella is on the wing at dusk, but difficult to catch. — H. H. Corbett, 

 19, Hallgate, Doncaster. — August 2nd, 1892. 



Wye Valley. — Mania maura is exceedingly common here, and comes 

 to sugar in numbers. I have always fed the larvee on Salix alba, but 

 this does not appear to be usually given as a food-plant. While on 

 this subject, I believe if the Editor of The Entovwlogisfs Record could 

 devote a small space in his valuable journal for his readers to record 

 instances in which they have successfully fed larvre on out-of-the-way 

 food-plants (by which I mean those not given by any of the recognised 

 authorities), it might be useful to collectors, in cases in which larvae 

 are not by any means general feeders, and the usually accepted food- 

 plants not (as is occasionally the case) easily attainable. I have some 

 larvffi of Phorodesma pustiilata, which emerged a few days ago. It is 

 curious how sticky they appear to be, everything they touch adheres to 

 them ; when first observed the> were covered with loose ova ; these I 

 removed, and placed them on their food-plant; they immediately com- 

 menced gnawing the upper cuticle of the oak leaf into minute fragments ; 

 and in ihese with the exception of the head they are completely 

 enveloped : these fragments stick up all over them, giving them an 

 extraordinary appearance as they move about, for their activity in their 

 encumbered condition is remarkable. The weather has been lovely 

 here for some time, and the commoner sorts of insects have been 

 plentiful, but I have taken nothing worthy of note, with perhaps the 

 exception of Thecla iv-album, of which I have taken several fair speci- 

 mens. C^rapta c-album appears to be a remarkably confiding insect, 

 several times lately when standing about in the garden, specimens of 

 this butterfly (male and female) have settled on me, and have not 

 stirred until I moved. 1 was certainly to be trusted, as I never interfere 

 with it until the spring, when I take the hybernated females to obtain 

 ova. My wife has also had a similar experience. — A. Nesbitt. 30//^ 

 July, 1892. [I am always quite willing to insert the occurrence of 

 unusual food-plants for larvoe. The habit referred to as occurring in 

 P. pustulata is undoubtedly protective. This species and P. smarag- 

 daria, gnaw off pieces of their food and gum them on to their bodies. 

 The body is not I believe "sticky," as suggested by Mr. Nesbitt, nor is 

 the attachment of the pieces a matter of chance. — Ed.] 



Jsle of Wight. — Having heard, in common with other stay-at-home 

 collectors, of the great success attending the use of the treacle tin in 

 the early part of June, I left London about a week earlier than usual 

 for my quarters at P>eshwater, but found to my disappointment that I 

 was even then, colloquially speaking, "a day behind the fair." I think 

 June 14th was the first night I started " sugaring," and although insects 

 were very plentiful, yet the rarer species had evidently been out some 



