16 The entoMologist*s record. 



on the whole, species have appeared fully a fortnight earlier than 

 usual, in many instances three weeks, and in some exceptional cases 

 even a month in advance of ordinary seasons. Melanism. — Instances of 

 melanism in specimens captured this season have not been i;p to the 

 average. A very large number of the Noctu^ and Geobietr.e (especially 

 of the former) which occur in the neighbourhood of York, are more or 

 less subject to melanism. A full list of the species which show this 

 tendency and have come under my observation will be given at some 

 future date. SaUoics were very unproductive, being out by the 10th 

 of March, and doubtless on this account the generally seductive 

 blossoms failed to attract the Taeniocampae in anything like the 

 usual numbers. Sugar — Whilst we have had very few poor nights at 

 sugar, the quantity has rarely been gi-eat, and the quality invariably 

 poor ; the reason for this has been in my opinion, not the counter 

 attraction of honeydew at which I have noticed very few moths, but 

 the general scarcity of NocTU^. Ivy-hlossoni — On the 30th September 

 I had my first night at ivy-blossom in the Westwood Beverley, where 

 the ivy is esjiecially abundant, cUnging in wild luxuriance around the 

 line old hawthorn trees which here form such a conspicuous feature of 

 the landscape, but although the night was favourable from a meteoro- 

 logical point of view, the blossom fine, large, and plentiful, and the 

 odour perceptible even to human nostrils, our would-be guests failed to 

 put in appearance, except by ones and twos ; it was a very different night 

 at ivy-blossom from those one often reads about. A friend of mine, who 

 has worked ivy on numerous occasions this season, informs me that he 

 has had almost uniform bad luck. Scarcity of Lepidoptera. — Geometry 

 have been on the whole very scarce, and " mothing " at, and after dusk 

 vmiformly unproductive. In the day time at rest on tree trunks, 

 palings, &c., but especially the former, Teplirosia himidularia and its 

 variety delamerensis, Venusia camhricaria, Asthena hlomcri, Lohophora 

 lobulata, Tephrosia punctulata, A. ulmata, &c., have been fairly common, 

 whilst H, marginata, Thera variata, Fidonia piniaria, could be obtained in 

 abundance by means of the " beating stick." I think this scarcity has 

 been due in a great measure to the extraordinary abundance of their 

 natural enemies — Ichneumons, Wasps, Dragon-flies, and Bats, which 

 together with Swifts, Nightjars and other insectivorous birds have, 

 thanks to the fine weather, been enabled better to follow their work of 

 destruction, and lastly and by no means least, to the great drought 

 which has prevailed ; these causes have also undoubtedly tended to 

 minimise the number of larvae, which have been unusually scarce. 

 Double-brooded Sjjecies. — The following sjDecies of Noctu-^, which are 

 not usually double-brooded with us, have this year been either wholly 

 or partially, double-brooded : — Leucania pallens,^ Cuspidia psi, 

 Viminia rumicis* NoctuapAecta* N. c-nigrum* Agrotis segetum* A. suffusa* 

 Hadena suasa* and H. oleracea. — Williabi Hewett, 12, Howard 

 Street, York. November 11th, 1893. 



Plymouth. — The collecting season here began early, and continued 

 excellent till June ; larvEe were plentiful, and imagines appeared in 

 abundance in our breeding cages and out of doors ; unfortunately, our 



* We are inclined to doubt whether in most English localities, Leucania pall ens, 



Viminia rumicis, Noctua plecta, N. c.-nigrwm, Agrotis segetum, A. suffusa and Hadena 

 suasa are not always partially double-brooded. — Ed. 



