NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 183 



for Agrotis ripce. larvae at the roots of the sea Orache ; the other edusa 

 were flying on clover fields and Downs ; four males were taken first, 

 all bright and freshly out of the pupa, the female rather small — Agrotis 

 ripce. larvge were very small, but over a dozen were turned up in the 

 sand. The evening was unfavourable for sugar, as a stiff north-easter 

 blew on the Downs, and the night was far too cold to expect much. Parties 

 were divided, those sugaring in the wood for Gonophora derasa, Thyatyra 

 batis and Triphcena subsequa (of the latter Mr. Hodges has captured 

 eight fine specimens) were only flwoured with a few common insects, 

 TriphcBiia orboiia, Leiicania pallens, Xylophasia polyodon, T.pronuba, etc., 

 but the high cliffs were far more productive, and under the guidance of 

 Mr. A. J. Hodges, whose favourite collecting ground lies many 

 hundred feet above the sea, I made a practical acquaintance with 

 Agrotis lunigera and A. lucernea. The only other moths flying to the 

 sugar on thistle heads and baited wild flowers were four A. nigricans 

 and one A. puta. It is rather a dangerous experience, and I quite 

 agree with a former writer that every lunigera taken is worth a pound. 

 Those from the most exposed cliffs and overhanging precipices were 

 always the finest, and the sugar most attractive was generally placed 

 where one would hardly care to go by daylight. A. lucernea were in 

 splendid trim, but scarce, compared with lunigera, which were getting a 

 little worn. The best advice to nervous cliff collectors of lunigera who 

 are not insured, is Punch's hint to those about to marry — " Don't." I 

 should hardly care to renew the experiment (Which ? — Ed.), and if the 

 truth were known, felt quite glad to get safely back to Freshwater at 

 H.30 p.m. The next day's take was principally Zygcena trifolii, of 

 which several nicely banded vars. have been met with this year. 

 Altogether I have to thank Mr. Hodges and his brother for a very 

 enjoyable trip after Isle of Wight species. — John Henderson, 25, 

 Madeira Road, Streatham. 



Hampshire. — Between Petersfield and Rowland's Castle I found 

 plants of both black mullein and woolly mullein, and a few larvge on 

 each, probably C. lychnitis and verbasci, all gone to earth now. — 

 J. Henderson. 



Agrotis suffusa and A. puta in July. — Mr. Tutt's editorial notes 

 on p. 164 to the effect that A. suffusa and A. pu(a are in some seasons 

 double-brooded — the first brood occurring in May and June, and the 

 second in August and September — while satisfactorily explaining the 

 appearance of the former in June, as recorded by Mr. H. Sandlin, will 

 hardly account for the occurrence of both species in the latter half of 

 July, to which I can bear witness, as I have taken them at sugar here 

 within the last ten days. On July 15th I boxed a fine fresh A. suffusa, 

 and believe that I left alone another that was slightly damaged ; and 

 last Saturday night, July 23rd, a rather worn A. suffusa and a beauti- 

 fully fresh A. puta came to sugar ! Although I have met with A. puta 

 in the middle of June in Portland, .August seems to be the regular 

 month for it here, so probably the specimen taken on Saturday was an 

 early moth of the ordinary single brood ; but as the normal time for 

 A. suffusa with us is September and October, it would require some 

 boldness to say whether those seen lately belong to the ordinary 

 autumn brood or an earlier one, or what has been their previous 

 history. In Stainton's manual A. suffusa is given a; appearing in 



