286 THE entomologist's record. 



only one female, which did not lay eggs. They were started by the 

 beating stick in several localities, both during the day and at dusk. 

 He also took fine specimens of Euthemo7iia russiila, Melanihia 

 albicillata and Selcnia Imiaria. One of the latter laid a good many 

 eggs, and the larvae fed up indifferently on oak, blackthorn, elm and 

 bilberry. A fair number pupated towards the end of August and the 

 beginning of September. Early in July we took a good series of 

 Melatiippe nnangulata and three Cidaria picata. From a few eggs 

 laid in May by C. suffuma/a, I have obtained about a dozen pupae, the 

 larvae feeding up rapidly on Galium mol/ugo, and changing early in 

 July. The C. suffumata taken in the spring were all typical, no dark 

 varieties. A worn C. silaceata laid a few eggs in May, the larvae in 

 which, hatching in June, fed up on Circcea lufetiana, and pupated 

 towards the end of July. I find them, as Mr. Fenn says, very easy to 

 rear, but with me they refused Epilobium 7nontaniim, though that, as 

 well as the enchanter's nightshade, grows wild in parts of my garden. 

 The larvae, when nearly full-fed especially, are just like the stalks of the 

 hitetiana, indeed, in changing the foodplant I have often mistaken 

 them, and found out my error only by touch. Their resemblance, too, 

 to the pod of Epilobium montanum^ is very striking, as Mr. Holland 

 remarks, though I have never found them on that plant. Out of some 

 eight or nine, two imagines emerged on August 14th and 20th, neither 

 have the transverse band divided, and they are somewhat smaller than 

 most of the spring brood. We also netted a few fresh specimens at 

 light about the same time. It seems that in these cases of a double 

 brood, only a {^'f^ imagines come out in the autumn, unless the season 

 is unusually favourable, in this case, some six or seven are going over. 

 I noticed the same with the second brood of Ephyra onicronaria, only 

 three emerged in the autumn, the majority hybernating. Asthetia biteata 

 occurred generally, but sparingly, considering the abundance of maple. 

 Venilia viaculata and Bapta temerata were common in May, the first 

 local, the second generally dispersed. One V. viaculata has the 

 upper wing pale primrose,^ whilst the under is of ordinary deep yellow 

 colour, forming a singular contrast. I think this variety has been 

 noticed elsewhere. Heliaca arhuii was very abundant. Noctu^ have 

 been scarce, as sugar has been unproductive, the best insect 

 attracted by sweets being Cos?nia pyralina. This we took in apple 

 orchards. Does not the larva feed on blackthorn in the hedges, or on 

 apple, rather than on elm ? There are but i^v^ elms, and those a long 

 way off, where we took the insect, and it was very local. I kept 

 several females, but could not induce them to lay eggs, though I found 

 their bodies full of ova after death. The first C. pyralitia was taken at 

 light on July nth, and the remainder making between two and three 

 dozen, mostly in one orchard, at sugar, between July 13th and the end 

 of the month. We took none this year in August. The pupae of 

 Emtnelesia iinifasciaia, reared last year, began to emerge early in July, 

 but only seven came out, the remainder (of some three dozen) have gone 

 over for another season. On the coast, some eight miles from here, 

 we took Hesperia actaoji freely, early in August, and in the same 

 place, Phytometra a^nea, M. procellaia, Eubolia bipuncfaria, Leucophasia 



^ I have often noticed this form, but believe it to be caused by exposure. — Ed. 



