NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 273- 



on the hills were fruitless. A few Nocfiia xanthographa and Phisia 

 gamma were the only insects we saw ; presumably the autumn (August) 

 insects have not emerged, as not even a Noctna ylareosa could be found. 

 A few insects came to light, but sjjaringly, and good ones singly for the 

 most jjart. Luperiua cespitin, Ch'oni (jlahraria, LoJ)oj)hora viretata, and 

 Eugonia tiliaria have been the best up to date. There seems to be an 

 abundance of larvas of Pyrauieis car did feeding on the thistles, here as 

 elsewhere, and the heat has brought out some of the common butter- 

 flies at last. A fortnight ago a I'apilio machaon came out in one of my 

 breeding cases, another having emerged in July and the first in April 

 — all of the same brood !" — Dr. Freer (Rugeley) writes Sept. 4th : — 

 *' Stilbia anoiiiala did put in an appearance, but unfortunately I was 

 away for my holiday at the time and so did not get any. I have reared 

 a considerable number of Hadena glauca from the egg this year, and 

 they have done well so far. They vary considerably in colour in their 

 early stages, ranging from all hues of yellow-green to green, and from 

 greenish-brown to rich bistre brown, which is their invariable colour 

 when full fed. The larvae of H. coutigua, which are now feeding, show 

 the same peculiarity in their earlier stages." — Mr. Christy, writing from 

 South Argyleshire on Sept. 11th, says: — "In this district the larvte of 

 Boiiibyx callnnae, S<iturni(i carpini and Acronycta menyanthidis were 

 rather more numerous than I ever saw them on Scotch moors in the 

 month of August. Clostera reclusa larvaj are also common." 



Mr. Cannon (Mannofield) writes Sej^t. 22nd : — " I have done no col- 

 lecting for some time. Insects seem to have disappeared altogether. 

 The only insect I have seen of late has been Folia chi, which was fairly 

 common sitting on the stone dykes." — Eev. E. C. Dobree Fox (Castle 

 Moreton) writes on Sept. 27th:- -"My experience has been much the 

 same as that of most other entomologists in this country. The season 

 has been a wretched one. Sugaring was throughout a total failure. I 

 started for Swanage on August 6th. Entomologists whom I met told 

 me that Pamphila actaeon had been plentiful, but I was too late for it 

 and had to work hard to obtain about 5 dozen sjjecimens. With the ex- 

 ception of a few Gnophos ohscnraria and Zygaena trifolii [This is a 

 remarkably late date for this insect. — Ejx] I got nothing else worth 

 speaking of, during the week I remained in Dorsetshire. A gentleman 

 showed me two or three Colias edma that he had taken, but I saw none 

 myself." — Mr. T. Maddison (South Bailey, Durham), writes on Oct. 

 3rd : — " This has been about the worst year for collecting I have ever 

 known. During the summer, I have been in Cornwall, at Scarborough 

 and at Saltburn, and found insects very scarce everywhere. Even the 

 commonest kinds ai)peared in very few numbers." — Mr. Finlay (Mor- 

 peth) writes on October 8th . — " Insects during June and July were 

 very scarce and late. On Sept. 24:th, Celaena haioorthii were plentiful, 

 flying over the mosses on the moors about 3 p.m., whilst Noaagria fulva 

 was also abundant, flying freely about 5-3U p.m. I swept the larvc« of 

 Hadena jiifii off heatlier in large numbers, and the larvfe of Bombyx ruhi 

 are more abundant on the moors than I have seen them fur many years. 

 Sugar is an entire failure." 



Deal. — I have just come back from Deal where at this time of year 

 there is of course little to be done entomologically. Aporophyla 

 australis and Anchocelis lanosa were common at sugar, but there w^as 

 little else : the only things worthy of mention were 1 Epnnda Uchenea 

 (dark form), which is I think new to the locality, 1 Xylhia socia (ditto), 



