248 THE entomologist's record. 



showing us that we have a lepidopterist exceedingly well informed 

 on matters of this kind, and one who will undoubtedly become an 

 authority to whom we may refer in matters of doubt. The general 

 ignorance of lepidopterists on this subject has hitherto enabled 

 dabblers to pick imaginary holes in the work of our best men — 

 Staudinger and Kirby — and to win a cheap notoriety as literar}" 

 enthusiasts ; and even those who are purely collectors of British 

 lepidoptera, occasionally try to become literary by giving us their 

 valuable opinions on such subjects. A really trustworthy authority, 

 who is at the same time one of ourselves, should put an end to this 

 once and for all. 



We should be thankful if any lepidopterist can inform us whether 

 any butterfly, British or foreign, has an anterior and posterior move- 

 ment? 



OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



NoNAGRiA hellmanni IN LINCOLNSHIRE. — Notwithstanding very 

 indifferent sport, I have continued to sugar all through this month 

 some twenty trees in my garden and fields here. My virtue has at 

 last been rewarded by a very surprising capture — that of N. hellmanni. 

 It was sitting on July 29th, in company with Triphcvna promiha and 

 Apamea oculea, on the trunk of a beech, bordering a field locally called 

 " The Wilderness." The centre of this field is devoted to growing 

 potatoes and artichokes, whilst round the edges is a l^elt of ordinary 

 forest trees — ash, beech, and elm, with rough gi-ass, nettles, dock, etc., 

 growing underneath. It is bounded on the E. side Ity the Eectory 

 garden (highly cultivated I), on the W. by a farmyard, on the S. by a 

 macadamised road, and on the N. by the churchyard. A more unlikely 

 locality for that fen-loving insect, hellmanni, one could not easily 

 conceive. There are no fens or marshes anywhere in this neighbour- 

 hood. But that my insect is hellmanni I am ready to maintain against 

 all comers, as I have had considerable experience of the species, seeing 

 that, in August, 1882, 1 took no less than 293 specimens in its favourite 

 haunt, the Fen of Wicken I — (Rev.) G. H. Raynok, Panton Eectory, 

 Wragby. Jnh/, 1893. [Our correspondent lias forwarded this, with 

 other specimens captured afterwards, to us for identification. There 

 is no doubt that the species is hellmanni. Is it not the fact that in 

 Monk's Wood, where it is also abundant, the Fen element is also absent ? 

 —Ed.]. 



Prior emergence of males in Lepidoptera. — With regard to the 

 note on this subject in the June number of the Ent. Beeord, I think the 

 following may interest some of your readers. About the middle of 

 June an example of the emergence of males Ijeing prior to that of 

 females came under my notice. I was breeding Ocneria dinpar : first 

 I had ten male dispar emerge, and two or three days afterwards 

 four females made their appearance. — 8. B. Chandley, Warrington. 

 My 10th, 1893. 



Deilephila euphorbi.b. — I read in the " Current Notes " of this 

 magazine for July, 1893, the following statement : — " D. enphorbiai 

 with the exception of an occasional immigrant, has not been British 

 for some three-quarters of a century." Is this quite correct ? I believe 



