A FEW days' collecting IN THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS. 287 



Avitli an overlianging ledge of rock or matted roots of trees, on the edges 

 of these burns, when olicata would be sure to start out at the slightest 

 pi'ovocation. Its habit here was most striking and contrasted strongly 

 Avith that observed in Kent, where it is a hedge-row or Avayside species. 

 The fields at the back of the hotel yielded Charceas (jrauiinis, plenty of 

 Hi/droecia nictitans of the lucens form, H. micacea, TripJicena pronuba, 

 Noctna xanfhographa and Apamea didtjma, all from the ragwort flowers, 

 whilst by day Pierts napi and Fyrameis atalanta were fairly abundant. 

 But the best collecting ground in the immediate neighbourhood was 

 evidently on Ben Bheula. Lying to the right of the Loch as we stood 

 in front of the hotel, its three peaks made it very conspicuous, and a 

 lovely Avaterfall to be seen at a considerable distance made it attractive. 

 The two days spent there were certainly the finest, from a weather 

 jjoint of view, that we had during our stay. They occurred during the 

 spell of particularly abnormal hot weather which Ave had in early 

 August in England, the Aveather in the Western Highlands of Scotland 

 at the same time being more or less wet (as usual). These days Avere 

 exceptional howcA'er, and the Aveather was brilliant. Hijdroecia nictitans 

 Avas abundant and flew freely to flowers during the day ; Charoias graminis 

 also, the females appearing to be on the wing all daj^ depositing their 

 eggs. Here and there in the neighbourhood of its food, Cekena haworthii 

 Avas frequently seen hoA-ering over the heather blossom, but Avas much 

 less freipiently caught. Cidaria testata Avas common on the boggy 

 parts, and Peronea aspersana occurred Avherever Potentilhi shoAved up 

 aboA^e the surrounding herbage, the females small and obscurely 

 marked. With Cidaria testata were a few Melanipjpe sociata and 

 Craiuhits mar gar it ell as, some in fine condition, others hardly recognisable, 

 Avhile here and there Phi/gas hisonteUa Avas A^ery abundant. At first 

 Ave got nothing but the pale females, then Ave came across the black 

 males, and as our bag increased I found that females of almost CA'ery 

 intermediate shade between black and Avhite might be found. A case 

 ■of " assembling " Avas also noticed in this species, no less than seA^en 

 black males fluttering in cpiite a liA^ely manner around one female. On 

 the rocks by the Avaterfall, about 800 feet up, Cidaria iminanata Avas in 

 great abundance, but only a small percentage of the specimens could be 

 netted OAving to the nature of the place. With the immanata an occa- 

 sional late L. ccesiata and L. salicata turned up, Avhilst a single female 

 of Cidaria pyraliata, the palest I CA'er saAv, Avas disturbed from some 

 heather. In a damp sjwt a little farther up, a dark race of Cidaria 

 popmlata was not imcommon, Avhilst an Elachista probably not far from 

 ohscureUa Avas also abundant. At the height of about 1,000 feet I took a 

 A^ery fine Larentia Jiavicinctata, but the Doctor, Avho left my boy and 

 myself here Avhilst he finished the ascent, found it rather abundant in a 

 steep glen throvigh Avhich a mountain torrent ran higher up, and on our 

 second ascent I Avent wp to the glen in Avhich he had found them. Here 

 I danced from stone to stone and rock to rock in the bed of the burn for 

 about two hours, and got about six specimens, Avhilst the Doctor climbed 

 into all sorts of impossible-looking places and took some tAvo dozen 

 others, but they Avere A'ery jwor in condition, Ave Avere evidently A^ery 

 late for them. It Avas, hoAVCA^er, a ne^v experience, and although I 

 would climb OA-er the gTOund again to get a Anew of a most lovely 

 glen the Doctor detected, and Avhich I should think could hardly be 

 ■equalled anywhere in Scotland, I don't know that L. jiavicinctata 



