272 THK entomologist's rrcorp. 



NOTES OF THE SEASON 1894. 



Short notes from the books of the exchange baskets. — Mr. 

 Atmore (King's Lynn) writes on July 21st: — " Insects have been very 

 plentiful during the last month, but uncertain, and wet weather makes 

 collecting difficult. What a nuisance the night- jar (Caprimidgtis euro- 

 paeus) has been in this district this season. A night or two ago, I 

 visited a district in which Lithosia complana and Acidalia inornata are 

 of annual occurrence. I succeeded in taking a few fine specimens of 

 each, but I believe tlie noisy, and this year numerous night-jars got far 

 more. I saw A. inornata taken once or twice by them, but neither 

 shouting nor stronger measures proved sufficient to cause them, to take 

 their departure ; they stuck persistently to their favourite corner." — 

 Mr. H. Page (New Cross) writes on August 2oth : — " Insects at Folke- 

 stone were decidedly scarce during the month I spent there — July 25th 

 to August 24th. At the time of leaving Lycaena beUargus had not even 

 put in an appearance. On August 10th, I saw 1 Colias edusa, but did 

 not hear of any others having been seen save 1 var. helice, which how- 

 ever was not cajjtured. Pyrameis cardui appeared in fair numbers but, 

 although otherwise fine and fresh, about 90 per cent, of them were 

 chipped, probably as a consequence of the prevalent high winds. 

 Lycaena corydon and Aspilates gilvaria were not at all abundant, but 

 Gnophos obsctiraria was in fair numbers. Plusia gamma swarmed every- 

 where, and Zygaena fiUpendidae was abundant on the outskirts of Dover. 

 Sugaring was only productive of common insects and those in limited 

 numbers." — Mr. A. Adie Dalgleish (Glasgow) writes on Aug. 28th : — 

 " Every one seems to be crying out about the deai'th of Lepidoptera 

 this season, and I am forced to do the same. The spring of the year 

 in the Ulasgow district produced literally nothing, the outcome of several 

 nights' sugaring in April being only some half dozen each of Taeaio- 

 campa gothica, T. stabilis and T. instabilis. May was even worse ; the 

 evenings were cold and a raw east wind prevailed during the greater 

 part of the month. In June I paid a visit to Cowal (Argyle.shire), and 

 took some Scojmla decrepttalis and a tew other things. It was not until 

 July, when I paid a visit to Stonehaven, that I captured insects in any 

 (|uantity. Lycaena astrarche var. artaxerxes was in goodly numbers, 

 and I obtained some nice varieties of L. icarns ( $ ). Zygaena Jilipendidae 

 swarmed on the top of the cliffs, and, in the evenings, Hepialus velleda 

 in the bays below. Sugaring brought quantity but hardly quality. 

 Many common Noctuids simply swarmed on some evenings, whilst a 

 few each of Aparnea gemina, Caradrina taraxaci, Mania typica and 

 Pldogojihora mcticidosa were taken. At flowers I took Leucania conigera, 

 Abrostola tripartita, Plusia jmlchrina and P. chrysitis. A few specimens 

 of Gnophos obscuraria were captured, and Coremia inunitata was secured 

 in quantity at several places, together with a host of .commoner geom- 

 eters. August again has been quite as unproductive as the earl}^ months 

 of the year, the only insect that I have taken in abundance being Scia- 

 phila octomaculana." — Mr. Sydney Webb (Dover) writes on Sept. 3rd: — 

 " Constant rain, week after week, is, I believe, almost unprecedented in 

 the south-eastern counties. Larvae were literally washed away by it in 

 the spring, and our common chalk-hill Ijutterflies and moths are now 

 strikingly absent." — Dr. Riding (Honiton) writes on Sept.;-!rd : — " Though 

 the weather changed for the better a week ago, there is not much dif- 

 ference as yet in the abundance of insects. Three visits to the heather 



