NOTES ON ('OIJ,K0TTNf:, ETC. 299 



Mason (Clevedon) writes on Septombei* T3th : — " Collecting here is no 

 more a success than it was two months ago. Sugar is almost a failure. 

 I have scarcely missed an evening for the last three weeks ; a couple 

 of dozen Ampliipura pi/ramhlea, with an odd specimen of Noctua ruhi, 

 N. .inittJioi/raphd, and Aijrotw puta are all that I have seen or taken. 

 The ivy is just coming out, but I do not feel very sanguine as to 

 autumn collecting. There has been a great scarcity of butterflies this 

 autumn. Paranje mcgaera is the only species that has been plentiful. 

 Whites are very scarce (much to the delight of the gardener), so also 

 are Pi/rameh atnhmta, P. cardni, Gouepferi/.c rhamni and Vanessa nrticae, 

 though the last-named was abundant in the larval stage. Lijcaena 

 icarm has also been scarce, and the few seen were much smaller than 

 usual. I have seen one or two specimens of Vanessa 2)o]i/ch1oros, but 

 no Grapta c-alhwn ; both these species ai'e, however, usually scarce 



with us." Mr. Atmore (King's Lynn) writes on September 17th : 



— " The weather during August interfered much with collecting. 

 Agrot/'s agatlilna occurs here, and I tried for it on one suitable night 

 during August but got only one specimen, apparently just emerged." 



Rev. C. F. Thornewill (Calverhall) writes on September 17th : — 



" Procris geryon was very scarce this year in the Bakewell district, where 

 last year it positively swarmed, and its food-plant (the rock cistus) 

 was very late in flowering. Mclanippe tristata was equally scarce, and 

 those that I did take were mostly boxed or netted whilst sitting 

 on the stone walls, which form such a conspicuous feature in North 

 Derbyshire scenery. Enpitliecia pi/gmaeata I saw only on one day, 

 when I caught two specimens and missed a third ; it flies in the 

 middle of the day in the hottest sunshine, but seems to be no wise 



abundant." Capt. Robertson (Coxhorne) writes on September 



2()th : — " I have just returned from Tenby, where I spent the month 

 of August. The insects I took there were : — EpinepheJe iitlioiuis, 

 abundant ; E. hiip)eranikm, worn ; Pararge egeria, in fine condition 

 and moderately common ; Lijcaena arghlus, scarce ; Pllppareliia semele, 

 common on the sandhills ; Aspilates ochrearia, not common ; Melanippe 

 gah'ata, scarce ; Bombi/x querrus, scarce ; Bryophila muralis, scarce, on 

 old wall of pier ; EuhoJia hipunctaria and Gnophos ohscuraria, fairly 

 common on the sandhills ; Agrotis praeco.c, just beginning to come out 

 as I left, three or four were obtained by shaking roots of sand-rush ; 

 A. cursoria, A. vestigialts, and A. tritici were very common, especially 

 the latter, taken by the same means as A. praecox ; Bryophila perla, on 

 stone walls everywhere ; Aglossa phiguinalis was very large and 

 common in an old stable ; Coremia ferrngata, Agrotis nigricans, Argynnis 

 paphia, and Pyrameis carchi, one or two of each. Mr Graves went 

 over to Sandersfoot about the 26th and took two dozen Stilbia anomala. 

 I returned to Coxhorne on the 29th and worked light and sugar, 

 but did not take a single insect at the latter, and nothing after the 

 6th inst. at the former, but during the week I took in the moth-trap 

 about 40 Nenronia pjopidaris, 6 Lnperina. cespitis, and a few L. testacca. 

 I also found a very fine female Cirrhoedia xerampelina at rest on an ash 



trunk on August 3Uth, but have searched in vain for more." 



Mr. J. E. R. Allen (Glasgow) writes on September 29th : — " I captured 

 a good variety of Vanessa vrticae in Phoinix Park, Dublin, in August. 

 The two spots on the fore wings are almost wanting, tlu; blue border is 

 very distinct, and the hind wings are almost black." 'Mr. S. Walker 



