40 'rMK ilNTOMOLOOIST's RtCORt). 



April 4th, wind west, thennometer indicated 40*-' at 10 p.m., T. 

 ifothica, T. instahilix, T. stahiU.s, T. pnlrcndcuta, all very plentiful ; 

 T. opiwa, about a dozen specimens; Lobdjilidra carinnata f lobiilatd /, 

 Larentia iin(ltistri(/(iria and Panolis jiijjijirrda, S((t)(rnia paronia (bred). 

 April 6th, wind west, dry atmospbere. ^lotbs not so plentiful as on 

 tbe 4th ; T. (/ot/iii-a, T. stahilis, T. instahilis, T. ojdiiia, L. carjiiiiata, P. 

 pinipcrda were captured, and -S'. paronia (bred). From April 8th to 

 the 19th the weather was mifavourable for collecting. The wind 

 was north, and there was frost at night (9*^ of frost on the 15th). 

 This finished the sallows up in this locality for 1896. — J. Finlay, 

 Meldon Park, Morpeth. April, 1896. 



The season here has so far been fairly good. Xi/ssia hispidaria 

 was common in early March, and was followed by (Ji/iiiatojdnira 

 fiaricorni^, which was also abundant. Kpitiraidtia arellaneUa, wliich 

 is usually common on the birches with (J. Jiarin)r)ti.s, was scarce this 

 year. The common Tteniocampids have been abundant at sallows — 

 T. pupnh'ti very common here, and T. iiiunda, at York. Amplu'sa 

 prodrouiana [irall,rraita) has been fairly common. Can anyone give 

 me a hint as to how to find the larva of this species '? — H. H. Cokbett, 

 M.R.C.S., Hallgate, Doncaster. Mai/, 1896. 



The sallows are working well, all the usual things being fairly 

 common. The beautiful deep red form of Taeniorainpa i/rarilis appears 

 pretty plentiful here this year, although usually rare. — W. Salvage, 

 Kinloch, Rannock, Perthshire. April 2QtJi, 1896. 



Date at which sallows blossom in Scotland.— In his paper on 

 Tri/jdiarna nrhona {comes), read April 23rd, Mr. R. Adkin suggested that 

 cold was probably the factor that developed the melanic specimens of 

 this species in Aberdeen, Moray, Sutherland, Orkney and Lewis; and 

 although I pointed out that Dr. Buchanan White had repeatedly shown 

 that the mean temperature of these areas was (except in the mountains) 

 somewhat high, and the districts often remarkably warm all the winter 

 months, whilst Mr. McArthur stated that the dark specimens lived on 

 (or near) peat-bogs, Mr. Adkin insisted on his point, remarking that 

 " If the temperature was not low, there was soDU'thini/ peculiar in the 

 atmosphere, for sallows were six weeks or more later than in England." 

 Taking our own records in the last and present numbers of the magazine, 

 we find that sallows were out at Perth " during March," Mr. Bush; at 

 Montrose, "March 21st," Dr. Gunning; at Morpeth, "March 23rd 

 — April 6th," Mr. Finlay; at Rannock, "April," Mr. Salvage; 

 Hereford, " Middle of March to April 4th," myself; and soon. On 

 the whole I should suppose that, leaving out the mountains, the 

 sallows would have been in working order from March loth to April 

 6th all over the British Islands, and in the mountains or hilly districts 

 a fortnight later. Is there any ground for Mr. Adkin's assumption as 

 to the late date that sallows blossom in Moray, whence most of our 

 melanic T. orhona come '? — J. W. Tutt. Maij, 1896. 



Popular names of insects : wanted, information. — Can any of 

 your readers inform me as to what insect the "Back-swimmer" is? 

 Is it the Boatman {Notonecta (/laiica) 7 The information is wanted for 

 the English dialect dictionary. "Back-swimmers are rowing them- 

 selves about by the hind-legs." In Hampshire, some of the larger 

 dragonflies are called " adder stingers." I have heard them so 

 designated frequently, but I fancy the name is very local. Is this so ? 



