NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 43 



Catocala fraxini at Farnboro', Kent. — Last night I captured a 

 specimen of this moth at sugar, at 8.30 p.m. Unfortunately, I had 

 only a medium-sized bottle with me, so I was very doubtful whether 

 I should secure the prize. However, as good luck would have it, I 

 dimmed my light, and placed the mouth of the bottle within half an 

 inch of the moth, when it gave a flutter and was captured. Lord 

 Derby's keeper was with me at the time, and he was almost as excited 

 as myself. Another friend, who was sugaring in the same wood, and 

 who saw the specimen shortly after I took it, was so overcome by the 

 sight, that he would not take any more small insects off the sugar that 

 night. A specimen was said to have been taken in Bromley, some 

 three years ago, but I never got to the bottom of the matter. In 

 1890, I bred 19 specimens from foreign eggs ; one of these managed 

 to escape while I was trying to bottle it, but there is not much likelihood 

 of this year's capture being a descendant of that brood, as I killed the 

 rest oft" each day as they emerged, and it is a very remote chance that 

 a pair of them should have copulated without my seeing them. On 

 comparison with the six specimens in my collection from the 1890 

 brood, this year's capture appears to have the ground colour of the 

 fore-wings much paler, and of a slightly brighter yellow. — Hope 

 Alderson, Farnboro', Kent. Aug. 24:th, 1895. 



EupiTHEciA succENTURiATA AND E. suBFULVATA. — About the middle 

 of October, 1894, I found eight " pug " larva? feeding at night on 

 Tansy (Tanacetum vnlgare). They were large, and of a dingy brown 

 colour, with darker coloured lozenges on the back. I began to force 

 the pupte in May, and from them have emerged, so far, one E. 

 succenturiata and one E. suhfulvata. After this experience, I do not 

 wonder that the older lepidopterists (Stainton among the number) 

 considered them to be forms of one insect. I certainly saw no differ- 

 ence in the larvae, and thought they were all those of E. subfuhata, 

 which I had not, up to that time, seen in the larval state. 

 E. succenturiata has not, I believe, been found in Staffs, before. I 

 am looking anxiously forward to see what the rest of the pupae Avill 

 produce. — R. Freer, M.B., Rugeley. June 12th, 1895. 

 Notes of the Season. 

 Clevedon, — Larvte, especially hybernating Noctuid larva?, were not 

 so plentiful as usual this spring, although Xanthia citrago was 

 tolerably abundant on the lime trees. — J. Mason. Jtme 10th, 1895. 

 Rugeley. — I found msects decidedly scarce this spring. I obtained, 

 however, two very fine varieties : (1) Amelanic var. of Melanippe sociata, 

 (2) A similar var. of Hadena oleracea. — R. Freer, M.B. June 12,th. 



Yorkshire (Beedale and Sledmere). — I recently had a day's 

 collecting at each of these places. At Beedale, Eupisteria obliterata, 

 Asthena luteata, Cabera pusaria, and a few other Geometers were 

 fairly abundant ; whilst in the open clearings in the woods, Argyvnis 

 euphrosyne (nearly over) and A. selene (in fine condition) were flying 

 freely ; and on a rough hillside, Nemeuphila plantaginis dashed about 

 with great vigour and freedom. I searched for some time for females, 

 for eggs, but only got one specimen. I captured, however, a nice var. 

 of the male, in which the yellow on the fore-wings is replaced by pure 

 white, the insect looking, as to the fore-wings, like var. hospita, the 

 hind-wings being normal. At Sledmere, Abraxas sylvata (of which 

 I got some nice forms — both dark and light) was very abundant. 

 Melanippe montanata, literally, and without exaggeration, was in 



