22 THE entomologist's record. 



on Whit Monday and the following Saturday. The following were the 

 most important : Sesin culiclformis. Erastrin fasciana, Acoulia 

 luctuosa, Aspilates strirjiUnria, Scoria lineata, Epi'one dolnJiran'o , 

 Eucosmla uiidnlata, and the larva of Thecla lo-alhum. Mr. Smith 

 reported large takes of Atnphidasiis hetidaria by " assembling " at 

 "Winchmore Hill, by Messrs. Ogden and James. Miss Prout read a 

 paper entitled " Notes on the genus Bnjophiln.'' She considered the 

 genus a very natural one, having no close allies, containing the only 

 lichen-feeding Noctuides. There are only four reputed British 

 species ; of these, one [Bryophila algae) is a very doul^tful native, 

 whilst another [B. impar) is considered by many authorities, and 

 notably by Mr. Tutt, in his British Noctuae, to be a variety of B. 

 mural is. Miss Prout suggested that it might be the inland form of 

 that species. She then proceeded to deal with Bryophila perln and 

 ]i. muralis in detail. The eggs, which in both species are white at 

 first, are laid about August or September, those of B. muralis being 

 apparently laid a little later than those of B. perla. The larvfp hatch 

 in a fortnight or three weeks, but go into hybernation while still very 

 small, beginning to feed again in the early spring. Miss Prout 

 narrated her own experiences with them at some length, and said she 

 had lately succeeded in rearing a specimen of B. perla. Both species 

 are taken sparingly at sugar, but the best way of finding them is by 

 searching walls in the early morning. The larvjB feed only on damp 

 lichens ; in the very dry season of 1B93 B. muralis was very rare, and 

 B. perla scarcer than usual. The latter is very Avidely distributed, but 

 B. muralis is practically confined to a few seaside localities ; var. impar 

 is exclusively confined to the neighbourhood of Cambridge. Both 

 species are very variable. Mr. Nicholson agreed with Miss Prout that 

 the species only feed on certain species of lichen, and are therefore only 

 found on certain walls on which their particular food-plants grow. He 

 had taken B. perla freely at Cromer last year on walls, all of which 

 faced in a southerly direction. Mr. R. W. Robbins had found a good 

 series of B. perla on the waterworks wall near the Lea, and said that 

 the insect was still seen there occasionally in considerable numbers. 

 Mr. Battley had found a number of the larvfe at the end of May and 

 beginning of June, at Sandown, but had failed to rear any of them. He 

 had also found the pupse commonly under the sea-wall at Brighton, 

 and had found B. muralis at Brighton and Ilfracombe, on slaty 



cliffs. On June 22nd, 1895, the Society made an excursion to 



Boxhill. Messrs. Prout, L. J. Tremayne, Nicholson and Bacot, and 

 Misses Nicholson and J. C. Robinson, reached Boxhill about 10.47 a.m. 

 They immediately made for the hill, and soon discovered that it was 

 teeming with insect life, though the majority of the Lepidoptera con- 

 sisted of grass "Micros." However, amongst these Mr. Tremayne 

 soon discovered a specimen of Acidalin orvata, which he promptly 

 netted. Immediately afterwards Mr. Prout captured a specimen of 

 Setina irrorella, and the species was subsequently found to occur all 

 over the open spaces of the hill. Several more specimens oiA. oniata, 

 were taken during the morning, and the larvjp of Cfcullia verhnsci 

 occurred in some numbers on the mulleins. The members lunched on 

 the top of the hill, and afterwards worked a chalk-pit on one of the 

 slopes. Here some lovely male specimens of Pamphila sylranvs were 

 found flying in the sunshine, and one or two specimens of Li/caena 



