NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 233 



I hope to make up a little of the lost time of last summer — the worst 

 I ever remember. Everybody is recording early dates of appearance, 

 and they are very numerous here as elsewhere. I took a short series 

 of Asthena blomeri yesterday (the 5th), last year it was some three 

 weeks later at the same place, I am told, and the year before plenty of 

 examples (rather worn) were captured as late as the August Bank 

 Holiday. Last week I took six species of the genus Acroaycta, 

 including leporina (2), and also six species of the genus Hadena, viz. 

 adnsta, dentina, suasa, oleracea, pisi and thalassina. P. lignata was 

 flitting about in fair numbers, and I came across a few ColUx sparsata, 

 evidently newly out. On Whit Monday (May 22nd), I was in 

 Scarborough, and had a look for Sciaphila odomaculana on the Castle 

 Wall, but I found I was too early. I turned up, however, at Hayburn 

 Wyke (a few miles north of Scarborough on the coast) Lohopliota 

 viretata and Venusia camhricaria, both in tine condition. — S. Walker. 

 June m, 1898. 



Beading. — Stauropus fagi has been by no means so i:)lentiful as last 

 year. I have been out four or five times and have only taken one ; but 

 I have been very fortunate with Melanippe hastata, Eupithecia plumbeolata 

 and many others. I have taken Limacodes testudo (1), Hadena adusta, 

 Aplecta tincta, A. nehidosa, Hypsipetes impluviata, Erastria fuscida, P. 

 barbalis, Enrymene dolobraria, Epione advenaria.Asthena candid(ita,Ephyra 

 trilinearia (swarms), E. j^endularia and a great number of Micros. — 

 E. Bazett. June 7th, 1893. 



Cambridge. — The season here, as everywhere, is unusually early. 

 June species were out early in May and even in April, but although 

 early, most things seem very scarce ; to this there are notable exceptions. 

 Among the Macros I saw Papilio machaon on April 23rd, nearly a 

 month early. Macrogaster arundinis, however, astonished me more. I 

 have not been able to work for them myself, but saw living specimens 

 taken on May llth. Although they are usually to Ije taken just 

 after the middle of June, the surest time is the end of that month and 

 first week of July. My best nights for the species were those of July 

 3rd and Gth, 1891, in splendid condition. I collected full-fed larvai of 

 Gelechia morosa on May 14th, the moths emerged June 16th, just three 

 days earlier than I found larvaj in 1890 and 1891 ; the moths in those 

 years emerging about July 22nd. I have bred a beautiful series of 

 Spilosoma lubricipeda var. radiata this year, thanks to Mr. Harrison, 

 and am now breeding Geometra vernaria, the descendants of a J caught 

 in 1889. They do not show the least sign of deterioration in colour 

 or otherwise, which might have been expected from four years inter- 

 breeding. I have done but little collecting yet, but have taken several 

 nice species of Micros, a list of which I must give later. As a curious 

 coincidence with Mr. Atmore's experience (and a most deplorable one), 

 the two or three alder trees from which I took Stathinopoda pedella 

 two years ago have been cut down ; there are others about the place, 

 but pedella seems very local, and it was only these two or three 

 condemned trees that yielded the species. — W. Eauren. June 20th, 

 1893. 



Morpeth. — I caught Cidaria silaceata this season on May 17th, and 

 I am looking forward with the hope of taking it again in August this 

 year, as I notice that some of the larvae are already more than half 

 their usual size. Insects are all much earlier this season, but I have 



