332 THE entomologist's recorb. 



Coliadce of last year appear to have wintered successfully iu a few 

 instances. Last winter gave the species every chance of doing so both 

 by its excessive mildness and unprecedented shortness. The conse- 

 quence is, that sheltered spots of our south and south-east coast produced 

 a few autumnal specimens this year, but neither species occurred in the 

 abundance of the previous season. In the Isle of Wight Mr. Moberly 

 came across a small brood of Melitaa cinxia which, like Lyca-va arion, 

 is excessively local and restricted to such small areas that a few ignorant 

 collectors have almost exterminated it as a British species, the cabinets 

 of almost all collectors who have commenced entomology during the last 

 ten years having had the gap filled up with this species from the yet 

 numerous colonies to be found in the Channel Islands. Pyraineis cardui, 

 in spite of its abundance in 1892 and the exceptionally^ mild winter of 

 1892-93, has been almost entirely absent during this fine summer, but 

 Erebia epiphron was found abundantly- both in its English and Scotch 

 haunts. I often wonder why we have no Irish lepidopterist with, ardour 

 enough to turn this species up again. A specimen of Polyommatnx bceticns 

 is recorded, whilst Cycloptdes paloemon appears to have beenfairly abundant 

 in Lincolnshire. 



Turning to the Eeterocera, very few of the rarer Sj^hhigkla; have 

 been captured. Aclierontia atropos \vas not uncommon in the larval 

 stage in the Midlands. Sphinx convolcnli has been rare, and with the 

 exce^jtion of half a dozen S. pinastri the other rare species have been 

 almost a blank. It came to my knowledge that Continental pupaj and 

 imagines of two of our rarest Sphinges had been bought in large 

 quantities, whilst at the same time queries from various parts of the 

 country relating to offers of exchange of these species as British also 

 came to hand. This necessitated the attention of collectors being called 

 to the matter. Macroglossa hombyl/fornf/s occurred in more than its usual 

 abundance in the neighbourhood of the New Forest very carl}^ in the 

 year, whilst the professional collectors in Scotland have between them 

 bred and captured several dozens of Sesia scoliiformis, another proof 

 that unless we are on the geographical limits of species, the rarity of 

 most of them is apparent rather than real. Zygcmia pnlosdkv and Z. 

 exidans have also ceased to be the rarities they once were, although the 

 long series required now-a-days by mrfny collectors makes them ^-aluable 

 in exchange. The Warrington collectors have again taken specimens 

 of the interesting form of L. complana known as sericea. CallimorpJia 

 her a has been bred this year, and also caught at large in its favoured 

 haunts in Devon. Perhaps the most important event of the year has 

 been the domestication of S. Inbricipeda var. zutima. This has been for 

 some years on the British list on the strength of an old figure of 

 Stephens, and some years ago at the sale of a well-known British 

 collection, a long series was disposed of which were generally su})posed 

 to have come from Heligoland. A short time ago, Mr. Harrison of 

 Barnsley bred siDecimens of hdn-icipida from pupa? received 23artly 

 from Hornsey and partly from Grimsby. From a pupa supposed to 

 have been sent witli the former lot he bred a specimen of zatimn, 

 and crossing this with a Grimsby specimen, obtained man 3^ examples both 

 of the extreme form as well as intermediates. Mr, Harrison at once very 

 generously distributed imagines and placed eggs at the disposal of many 

 of our leading lepidopterists. It appears almost impossible, however, 

 that Mr. Harrison bred his specimen of zatlma from the Hornsey 



