NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 87 



the 17th, when two males and two females (the first appearance of the 

 latter) were captured, and a few more were netted in the third week of 

 the month. One of the females is without the faintest indication of a 

 spot in the marginal band of the hind-wings, and the spots in the 

 band of the fore-wings are almost obliterated ; it is nearly identical 

 with a specimen in my long and varied series of var. helice. The 

 marginal bands of the males differ as regards the intensity of the 

 black, some being dusted with yellowish scales. — Joseph Anderson, Jun., 

 Alve Villa, Chichester. October tith, 1895. 



Choerocampa celerio at Clapton. — On September 7th, a gardener 

 close by here brought me a very fine freshly emerged C. celerio, which 

 he took at rest. — Frederick J. Hanbury, F.L.S., Stainforth House, 

 Upper Clapton, N.E. October dth, 1895. 



CiRRHOEDiA xerampelina AT SouTHEND. — I think ( 'irrhoedid, 

 xerampelina must be well established in this district, for I found 

 three examples at the foot of an ash — not on the trunk — early this 

 month. — F. G. Whittle, 3, Marine Avenue, Southend. September 

 21st, 1895. 



Decadence of Thymelicus lineola at Leigh, Essex. — T. lineola 

 has almost deserted its old quarters between Benileet and Leigh. 

 This is due to the Salvation Army colonists, who have brought many 

 acres of land adjoining the river wall under cultivation, and have so 

 made short work of the thistles. On one small untouched patch I was 

 able to take 80 T. lineola, several Hermiiiia cribrella, and one 

 Lithosia complana. — Ibid, 



Notes of the Season. 



Clevedon. — In this locality the season entomologically has been a 

 decided improvement on the last. Sugaring has been pretty good at 

 intervals. Many insects, however, have occurred but sparingly, and 

 some have been absent altogether. I took Lithosia complana in 

 tolerable numbers on a rocky hillside near here, beating it out of 

 some scrubby dwarf ash in the day-time. It is some years since I 

 took the species, and then only a solitary specimen. I found it rather 

 difficult to take on the wing, as its flight is much quicker than that of 

 some of its congeners, and the locality was somewhat difficult to work. 

 I did better by beating the low scrubby ash, which it appeared to like 

 better as a resting place than other low shrubs close by. I presume 

 the larvns feed on a lichen, common on the hillside. Sphinx convol- 

 vuli made its first appearance at tobacco flowers last Wednesday, 

 August 28th. The following evening I took a pair, and, with suitable 

 weather, hope to make a good bag. I took my first specimen of 

 Enpithecia succenturiata at Clevedon, on a gas lamp, at the beginning 

 of July, but though I beat the thorn hedges in the neighbourhood, I 

 failed to take any more. E. subfulvata we take sparingly at the 

 flowers of Clematis vitalba, in August. I have Xanthia citrago 

 emerging now ; the larvae were taken last spring. I find the perfect 

 insect drying its wings between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Is not this un- 

 usually early ? I do not remember another instance of so early an 

 emergence as this. Can any one tell me on what the larvje of this 

 species feed, before the lime unfolds its buds ? I found them three- 

 quarters grown when that took place last spring. Do the larvfc 

 hybernate ? My first specimen emerged about the middle of August, 



