NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 339 



to rear, this species must certainly rank as an exception, for I found it 

 •quite the easiest of any larva> I have tried ; sleeved on sallow they fed 

 up rapidly and pupated with only one exception. The larva, in its 

 ■earliest stage of existence, is of a glaucous coloui', changing with every 

 •skin first to a darker tint of sap-green, then to a rich velvety bistre 

 brown indeed almost black, until finally it is in its last skin of pale 

 umber brown with markings of a darker shade ; it is an irritable 

 larva and lashes out if annoyed or shaken from its food plant. 

 Towards the middle of August, Nonagria arundinis (typJue) and 

 Tapinostola fidva put in an ap^jearance, though neither in any numbers. 

 •Quite the commonest insect in Sutton Park this year was Noctua 

 dahlii; it absolutely swarmed at heather bloom, which also attracted 

 Noctua glareosa in goodly numbers ; the lattei', I am told by a corre- 

 spondent, are of a very j^ale form. Early in September sugar 

 began to be regularly attended by Xanthia silago and cerago, and 

 among the latter occurred two good specimens of the var. Jiavescens, 

 one of an orange tone and the other the very pale yellow form. 

 On the 4th of September I took a pair of Agrotis ohdisca at sugar ; 

 this is, I think, quite a new locality for the species. The following 

 •evening produced a single specimen of Xanthia gdvago, also 

 a fresh record for the immediate neighbourhood. Agrotis saucia was 

 an occasional visitor, and of the commoner insects AncJioceh's litura was 

 the most abundant. Macroglossa stellatarum has been fairly plentiful 

 here, though not easily caught, but a friend at Bromsgrove, throughout 

 September, took as many as three and four each evening at light ! 

 On the whole I think the season has been a good one, and I am especially 

 pleased at having turned up one or two things (new to this district) in 

 Sutton Park, which I had considered worked out. — P. W. Abbott, 

 Four Oaks, near Birmingham. November, 1893. 



Berlcshire and Oxfordshire. — Part of April and May, the whole of 

 August, and the greater part of September, I collected in Berkshire in 

 the neighbourhood of Newbury, the rest of the season being spent in 

 Oxfordshire. Sallows were well in blossom by the middle of March, 

 but though the commoner species came well, I took nothing worthy of 

 note. In April, among many others, I took good series of Panolis 

 piniperda including a beautiful var. grisea, Hemerophila abruptaria, 

 Tcphrosia crepusctdaria, Syrichtus malvce, Nisoniades tages, and larvae 

 of Ellopia prosapiaria (fasciaria). During the first week of May 

 Nemeophila plantaginis was flying in countless thousands and from ova 

 obtained then I have reared a second brood. Thecla rubi was just 

 coming out. On the 7th the first of a number of Sphinx ligustri came 

 to honeysuckle ; while Ermnelesia albulata was well out by the 11th. I 

 bred nice series of Dianthoecia carpophaga and Enpithecia venosata from 

 seeds of Silene collected last year. Many insects came well to light. 

 On the night of the ] 5th I took between 50 and 60 in my tra]^, in- 

 cluding some beautiful specimens of Neuria reticulata (saponarice). 

 Among many others sent from Berks, were Sphinx ligustri, Notodonta 

 trepida, Agrotis cinerea (1), Grammesia trigrammica (trilinea), Hadena 

 genistce, H. pisi, H. thalassina, Eurymene dolobraria, Selenia lunaria and 

 Numeria pulverarta. The first of a good series of Aplecta advena came 

 to light on May 22nd. Sugar was a total failure. June produced Anticlea 

 rubidata, Melanippe rivata, 31. procellata, Scotosia vetulata and Acidalia 

 imitaria among others, by beating; while Nudaria mundana was very 



