194 THE entomologist's IlECORD. 



Durdham Down, facing the picturesque Avon Gorge, of which Bris- 

 tolians are so justly proud; but I am informed by my friend Mr. 

 R. M, Prideaux that in 1892 he found a few on the rocky slopes 

 under Observatory Hill, Clifton Down. There is also a record in Mr. 

 Hudd's Lifit of the Lepidoptera of the Bristol District, that a few 

 stragglers have been taken on Leigh Down, on the Somerset side of 

 the Avon, having probably been, as Mr. Hudd suggests, blown across 

 the river. 



In the favourite haunt of this very local species, A. holosericata 

 may be found abundantly during about a fortnight in the summer. 

 Mr. Prideaux records it from the 21st June to 5th July. In the 

 summer of 1895 it must have emerged early, like many other species. 

 I was unable to visit the locality until 28th June, and though I 

 found the species still flying, nearly all the specimens were hopelessly 

 rubbed and tattered, the long fringes of the wings soon becoming the 

 worse for wear. 



The moths may be started during the day from the grass or 

 low bushes of privet, etc., where they rest with wings outstretched, 

 but fly with a short and rather weak flight during the dusk of the 

 summer evening. Up to the present time the species seems to keep 

 up its numbers, and the steep slopes which it loves are certainly a 

 safeguard to its existence, but so many species have either disappeared 

 entirely from Durdham Down, or are deplorably reduced in numbers, 

 that I cannot help feeling that for this species, with so restricted a 

 habitat, the prospect of survival is somewhat doubtful. 



A. holosericata seems to be but little subject to variation. 1 have 

 never taken anything which could be dignified with the name of a 

 variety. Of some twenty specimens now in my possession, four show 

 very faint traces of a central spot in the fore-wings, and one is of a 

 more leaden colour than the rest, this being one of the unspotted 

 type. 



In the above note I have continued to use the well-known name of 

 holosericata, as I gather from Mr. Prout's paper that he considers our 

 British examples a specialised local race, in view of which it may be 

 well to retain for them the name holosericata, even if we only attach 

 to it a varietal value. 



Probable specific identity of Sciapliila penziana and 

 S. colquliounana. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



In the course of my wanderings among the mountains of Piedmont 

 and the Tyrol I have often come across various insects which might be 

 considered either S. pen::ia)ia or S. colquhuunana. This year, thanks 

 to the kindness of Messrs. Wylie and J. J. F. X. King, I have added 

 a long series of specimens known by the latter name to my collection. 

 The variation therein increased my doubt as to whether we had really 

 two species under the above name. As is usual in any case of doubt 

 in matters of this kind, I wrote to Mr. J. Hartley Durrant, and was a 

 little surprised to find that he was inclined to agree that the latter 

 might be only 9, f once variety of the former, but that, like myself, he 

 had as yet an open mind on the subject. He further sent me the 

 original descriptions of the soi-ilisant species. 



