NOTES OF THE SEASON. 65 



wing in the struggle, but is otherwise so bright, that now, on the 

 setting board, with the damage covered up for the moment by the 

 paper strip, it reconciles one to this sad life. In this locality it 

 appears to be a " good year " for iris, in fact for Lepidoptera generally, 

 the season improving as it advances, and July being much better than 

 June, which, on the whole, was a disappointing month for the butterfly 

 collector, owing to cold and rain. — • A. Radcliffe Grote, MA., 

 Hildesheim. 



Rainham. — My theory as to the mild winter of 1893-1894 having 

 permitted a large percentage of certain unusual insects to show them- 

 selves during the following season, has received a rude shock, for, 

 after the more severe winter of 1894-1895, I am again pleased to 

 welcome Agrotit^ obsmra, not in such numbers as before, but in the 

 most lovely condition. Other species with periods, have favoured me 

 with their presence at sugar, viz., Apamea unanunis, Dyschorista 

 fiNsiiiuucta, and Apamea ophiogramma. — (Rev.) C. R. N. Burrows, 

 Rainham Vicarage, Essex. July IQth, 1895. 



Southampton, New Forest. — ^The early part of this season was 

 remarkable for absence, both of larvte and imagines, in this district. 

 When beating for larvae of Apatura iris (which we did not get at all 

 this year), the striking feature was the scarcity of even the commonest 

 hybernating larvae. I suppose the birds and the frost are answerable 

 for this. Boannia abictaria, which was fairly plentiful, was the 

 exception to this rule. Six weeks later the oaks in the New Forest 

 were full of larviB, the same species that were common last year being 

 there again in plenty, with the addition of Asphalia ridens. By the 

 way, I may mention that A. ridens was one of the species which lay 

 over last year in pupa with me. — J. C. Moberly, M.A., 9, Rockstone 

 Place, Southampton. Jtily 18th, 1895. 



Lyndhurst and Wicken. — On August 11th I started with Mr. J. 

 W. Corder, of Sunderland, for a fortnight's entomologizing at 

 Lyndhurst and Wicken. We arrived at Lyndhurst Road Station at 

 9.33 on Saturday morning, in a very sleepy condition, but with great 

 expectations as to the larv^ and moths that were awaiting our arrival. 

 In this happy frame of mind we at once turned into the woods on 

 leaving the station, and set to work vigorously. The first tree produced 

 nothing, which we concluded was a mistake, but the next half dozen 

 were no more productive than the first, which made us begin to feel un- 

 comfortable ; still we persevered, and soon every tree became extremely 

 productive — but only of words which are not allowed to appear in the pages 

 of the Becord. By the time we reached Lyndhurst we had taken one small 

 Notodonta ziczac (which appeared to be badly shaken), one Hylophila 

 jirasinaria and one minute Orgyia antiqna, and had quite exhausted 

 our vocabulary. However, the work had given us an appetite for 

 dinner, and after performing that duty, we, in spite of a strong desire 

 for a nap, started oft" again with renewed hopes. Directly we got on 

 to the heath we took what had no doubt a very long time ago been a 

 fine specimen of Selidosema ericetaria (jilumaria), though, as it had 

 very few scales left, and large pi-eces of all four wings were missing, we 

 might have been mistaken. We also saw about three Lycaenn argon. 

 Beating produced less than in the morning, and as it had now begun 

 to rain, we got into our mackintoshes and sat down under a tree 

 (which leaked badly) to talk the matter over. The verdict was that, 

 though larvae were apparently absent, we should get a lot of things at 



