14 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



Bomhyx rnbi I try to breed annually, and with invariable unsuccess. 

 I have had them out of doors, indoors, in a cold place, and in a green- 

 house. I very much doubt whether they do feed at all, either in the 

 winter or in the spring. I always bring a lot away from Scotland in 

 October, and have got a lot now. If they do any better than usual I 

 will report it. I had a few Spilosomn fuliginosa among them, and 

 one or two of these have pupated since the winter. Dasijchira fascelina 

 I hybernated this winter. They were kept under cover in a bag among 

 dead leaves. They were alive, and I sleeved them out in March. I 

 fear there is no rule about hybernating larva?, and also that what one 

 would think to be the most natural way of keeping them is not always 



the best." Mr. S. Walker (York) writes : " The season is up to the 



average here ; the cold winds of the last few days, however, have left 

 their mark on the trees pretty plainly everywhere. I find larva; very 

 plentiful. I got a nice lot of T.populeti, about half grown, yesterday, 

 with a sprinkling of Plastenis suhtusa, whilst Cleocer'is viminalis was 



in extreme abundance on sallows." Mr. A. Adie Dalglish (Glasgow) 



writes on May 20th : "I spent a fortnight at Luss in July, 1893, and 

 collected principally in the glens there, and the mention of the best 

 of my captures will show, I think, that the locality is, from an ento- 

 mological point of vieAV, as well as from its picturesque beauty, quite 

 worthy of a visit. Erehia aethiops can be taken by the river side, at 

 the junction of Luss Glen and Glen Striddle, whilst Coremia munitatn 

 and Emmelesin minorata can also be taken commonly at the s.ame spot. 

 Nudaria mundana occurred in some numbers on a wall half way up 

 the glen. liepialus hectus was common in the woods near the quarry, 

 whilst H. syhinus occurred all over the hillsides. Larentia caesiatu 

 could be taken in hundreds on the rocks on Beinn Dubh ; Lycopliotia 

 striguJa (Agrotis porplnjrea), Pyrausta purpuralis and Herhida 

 cespitalis on the heather on the lower slopes of the same hill. I took 

 a fine series of Geometra pcqrilionaria (13 in all) principally near the 

 village. Emmelcnia ajjinitata, E. alchemiUatd, Eupithecia ahsynihiata, 

 E. r c clang uhita, Venusia cambrica, Larentia olivata, CrocaUis 

 elinguaria, Boarmia gemmaria, Coremia unidentaria, G. designnta. 

 Cidaria truncata. G. prtniata, C. pyraliata, etc., occur in numbers in 

 or near the village. Melanthia hicolorata, of which I took a lovely 

 series of the var. plumhata, occurs everywhere. Sugar was a complete 

 failure ; a number of Xylopliasia pohjodon var. infuscata put in their 

 appearance, as well as single specimens of Dyschorista f^iispccta and 

 Cymatophora duplaris, and several Noctua brunnea, Hydroecia 

 victitans and Apamea gemina, etc. Flicsia chrysitis, P. iota, and 

 P. pidchrina came to thistles ; Charaeas graminis to ragwort ; whilst 

 Scopida lutealis, Scoparia ambigualis, S. cembrae, Graplwlitha 

 nisaiut and Dictyopteryx lorquiniaiia (idiginosana) (both variable) 

 could be taken from the oaks and l)irchcs (? Ed.) in the quarries. But as I 

 only collect in the evening when away on my holidays (Sundays ex- 

 cepted), being occupied in sketching all day, I can scarcely be expected 

 to Avork a locality thoroughly. With regard to Scopula decrepitalis, 

 which I rediscovered at Lochgoilhead some four years ago (after it had 

 apparently been forgotten) and put a number of collectors on their 

 mettle, it occurs from Kilmun to Lochgoilhead, oftenest in damp places 

 near the shore, and will usually be seen sunning itself, its wings stretched 

 fully out on the brackens, Phibalaptcryx lapidata flies on grassy 



