NOTES OK COLLfeCflNG, ETC. 51 



MiCRA OSTRINA AND PARVA. — I have been reading with much interest 

 the Apjiendix to Mr. Tutt's last vol. of the British Noctuce. It may- 

 interest lepidopterists to know that the specimens of 3Iicra parva and 

 ostrina, taken by the late Dr. Battersby at Torquay, are still extant and in 

 perfect condition in my cabinet. The specimens are very pale in tone, 

 which of course may partly be owing to age, though the reddish-brown 

 markings are distinct and well coloured. Treitschke's description ap- 

 plies very well, but there is no reddish-brown on the thorax or abdomen, 

 which are of unicolorous putty colour. In the description of the fore 

 wings of parva, one character seems to have been omitted, and which 

 distinguishes it at once from M. ostrina, namely that the " white central 

 area," or band, bearing the small discoidal spot, is bounded exteriorly 

 by a brownish line bordered with white, which from the costa forms a 

 broad loop to the mid wing, and thence runs parallel with the inner 

 border of the band to the inner wing margin. — W. F. de V. Kane, 

 Kingstown. February Qth, 1893. 



Practical hints. 



The Month. — Providing the weather is tolerably mild, this month 

 may be profitably occujued in searching for the wingless females of the 

 genus Hibernia. In favourable localities, carefully search tree-trunks for 

 2 H. rivpicapraria, $ at dusk, near hedge-rows. $ fl". leucoplicearia, 

 tree-trunks ; <? sometimes fly by day, and may also be found at rest, 

 on trees and fences. $ H. p>rogemmaria on tree-trunks ; 3 at dusk, 

 also comes to light. Anisopteryx cescularia, females and males, on tree- 

 trunks ; preferring birch. Phigalia pilosaria, male and female, on 

 tree-trunks ; male also comes to light. The females of the above 

 species are wingless, and sometimes very difficult to see ; it is only by 

 diligent practice, that the eye can detect anything beyond the lichen- 

 covered tree-trunk, but when once the vision is acquired, considerable 

 success usually follows. Eriogaster lanestris may be found on tree- 

 trunks, near the ground. Amphidasys prodromaria at rest on trees and 

 fences, also at light, end of month, whilst Tej^hrosia crepuscidaria occurs 

 at rest on trees. It will be well for the student to keep one or two 

 females alive, of each species captured, in order to obtain ova, thereby 

 enabling him to carefully study and record the comj^lete life-history. 

 J. P. Mutch. 



Dm'ing this month, warm evenings are occasionally suitable for 

 sugaring ; of course only " hibernated " NocTu.iE put in an appearance, 

 but in cases where early and continuous frosts have pi'ecluded their 

 flight, specimens are to be had in fair condition. I have thus taken the 

 only Calocampa exoleta I have ever come across, some years ago, in 

 North Oxfordshire, and with them, but in worse condition, large 

 numbers of Scopelosoma satellitia and of course Cerastis vaccinii. 



Pupa-digging is hardly worth pursuing, as the moles and other 

 enemies have taken full advantage of their start over us, if we delay 

 till spring, but larva-searching after dark, on the first really warm 

 damp nights, after complete breaking up of frost, amply repays work, 

 as most of the hibernating larvas seem to take the opportunity to break 

 their long rest, and crawl up to the top of any conspicuous stems amongst 



