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NOTKS ON COLLECTING, ETC. 271 



Amj. 7th. — Findhorn by coacli, distance 5 miles; saw on sandhills 

 — Satyrus scmcle worn, Poli/ommaJns phlaeas worn, Lycacna icarits 

 worn, and by beating and searching, we found many beautiful 

 forms of Agroth cur nor ia and A. tritici. Wet in evening, did not try 

 sugar. Aug. Sth. — Altyre Woods. E. cethiops still in plenty and a few 

 L. olivata. Sugared in Hedgefield Wood— utter failure. Aug. 9th. — 

 Coast working for .1. cnrsoria and A. tritici. Heavy rain. Aug. 10th. — 

 Met Mr. Reid by early train, had an early dinner, and started for 

 Culbin Sands, about 4^ miles distant, found few A. cnrsoria and A. 

 tritici. Sugar in evening only })roduced 1 Noctua depuncta, and a few 

 normal Xijlophaxia inonogh/pha ; ragwort Ijloom would have paid our 

 labour much better had it been dry, wet as it was we got Xanthia 

 cerdgo and \av . Jldrescens, Agrotis nigricans, tritici, &c. Aug. llth. — Whilst 

 having breakfast Mr. W. Salvage called, having arrived the previous 

 night, then 1 knew that with two professional collectors I should have 

 a lively time of it. Arrangeiiients were made for a tour round, which 

 meant a walk round of about 15 miles, distance appearing little object 

 to these two gentlemen. Our captures were very poor during the day, 

 but we did better in the evening at ragwort, although sugar certainly 

 did not pay the trouble of working, so we agreed to work bloom only, 

 for a few nights. Aug. 13///. — Findhorn by early coach ; A. cnrsoria and 

 tritici in plenty l)ut getting worn — my daughter caught the first pair of 

 Agrotis prcecox. this was to me a new experience, never having seen 

 this species before— but not a single example of Triphoina, al- 

 though Mr. Salvage had got snhseqna in plenty on the same spot some 

 years ago. Wet at night, did not go out. Aug. 14:th. — Altyre Woods, 

 found L. olicata, E. sohrinafa worn, and larvse of E. togata feeding in 

 fir cones on trees standing from 20 to 40 feet high, by no means an easy 

 species to work for, as many trees may be climbed without finding- 

 infested cones. An opera glass would be a great desideratum here. 

 Ragwort at night produced 2 or 3 N. depuncta together with species 

 already enumerated. Aug. 15th. — Mr. W. Salvage informed us that 

 Melanthia bicolorata was very variable in one locality, the yhy. plumhata 

 being of common occurrence. So we agreed to work for it, and cer- 

 tainly had the season been at all a good one we would have got a lot, 

 as it was we each got 2 or 3. Mr. Salvage's splendid knowledge of the 

 Forres district was certainly well worthy of comment. Ragwort 

 produced no fresh species. Ang. IQth. — Went to Culbin Sands and got 

 several ^1. pra^cox, cnrsoria, and tritici, but these sands are most 

 difficult to work. Bloom work produced nothing new. Aug. llth. — 

 Went to Inverness sight-seeing, no collecting in evening. Mr. Reid 

 left Forres, his week's stay was one of hard work, but at the same time 

 great enjoyment and genial companionship. Aug. 18th. Beating for 

 M. bicolorata and var. pJumhata, found few but worn ; wet night. 

 Aug. 20th. — Setting and packing up generally. Aug. 21st. — Started for 

 Aberdeen, had a night on Markar Links with my friend Mr. Home. 

 Sugar not working, we got back early, and went over his splendid 

 collection, then -'sampled" his duplicates. Aug. 22nd. — Travelling all 

 day en ronte for London — thus ended a wet but very enjoyable lioliday. 

 I forgot to enumerate larva? found, and herewith append without dates. 

 Acroiii/cta Jeporina, few ; A. ruinicis, few ; Bomhi/x qucrcns, scarce; 

 Notodonta cavieliua, few ; N. dromcdarins, few ; N. ziczac, few ; I'hrdcra 

 huccphala, plenty not taken ; Spilosoma menthasfri, few full-fed ; 

 Cliariclea umbra, plenty, very variable, on rest-harrow, ttc. — J. F. 

 Mutch, 359, Hornsey Road, N. 



