16 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



1893. I propose to call it ab. aurata. From the ground colour, as 

 well as the broken band, it might be almost a distinct species. — F. B. 

 Newnham, Church Stretton, Salop. Dec. Srd, 1894. 



CoLiAS EDUSA VAR. HELicE AT Clifton. — As records of the occurrence 

 of Colias edusa during the past season have been few and far between, 

 it may be of interest to note that a fine specimen of the var. -helice was 

 captured by Mr. G. C. Thompson on Clifton Down, on 29th September. 

 In Mr. Hudd's List of the Lepidoptera of the Bristol District (1877), this 

 variety is mentioned as " not recorded from Gloucestershire," and I am 

 not aware of any capture in this district since the publication of the 

 list until the one above noted. — Geo. C. Griffiths, 43, Caledonia Place, 

 Clifton. Nov. 2dth, 1894. 



OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



J^otes of the Reason of 1S94' 



Short notes from the exchange baskets. — Mr. W. F. de V. 

 Kane (Monaghan) writes on September 10th: — "When I last wrote 

 (from Kerry), the improvement in the weather was just commencing 

 to show results. I had a week or ten days' good sport in the 

 hunting grounds within ten miles radius of Kenmare. But, with 

 the exception of Atjrotis exclamationis, I cannot say that I saw any 

 crowds of moths at sugar. I took a few good things in scanty 

 numbers, but failed to get Notodonta bicolor. I however took Stauropus 

 fagi (the second Irish sjjecimen). Erastria fasciana was locally plen- 

 tiful, as also was Enthemonia russula, but I did not meet with Hydrelia 

 uncula or Bankia argentida. I think that this season the Agrotidae have 

 been as numerous as usual, but arboreal feeders have suffered from the 



inclement weather." Dr. Riding (Honiton) writes on Sept. 22nd: 



— " Cajjt. Robertson writes of the slow growth of sleeved larvae this 

 season. I had noticed tbe same fact here, with Moma orion, Smerinthns 

 tiliae. Cidaria silaceata, Eugonia fuscantaria, Spilosoma luhricipeda, &c. ; 

 indeed, those kept in cages indoors throve much better, fed up more 

 rapidly, and with less mortality. E. fuscantaria did worse tlian the 

 others ; indeed, some of the larva? were still feeding at the beginning 

 of this month, and those that pupated produced a much larger propor- 

 tion of cripjiled imagines than usual. I think with him, too, that 

 the abundance of birds and insects is in an inverse ratio in my 

 locality. I have always thought this one cause of our small bags in 

 Devonshire. The autumn moths are late in appearance in the breeding- 

 cages. Hoporina croceago and Xanthia aurago are only just beginning to 



emerge — five or six weeks later than last year." Mr. Moberly 



(Southampton) writes on Sept. 23rd : — " At Wicken, in the third week 

 of July, insects were not to be found in such quantities as is usually 

 the case. Helotropha leiicostigma was plentiful, but the commoner insects, 

 such as Agrotis segetiim, A. nigricans, Tryphacna pronuha, &c. did not 

 crowd on the sugar, indeed, there never was a crowd of moths to be 

 seen. Agrotis obscnra was taken in about the usual numbers. At 

 Freshwater, the week after, where last year Agrotis puta was swarming, 

 there was literally nothing. For three weeks in August I was near 

 Romsey. In the garden, last year, I took Tryphaena subseqiia and 

 Nocina rhomboidea, whilst A, segetum, N. c-nigrum, and other commoners 



