SrOTES OF THE SEASOlV". 89 



Early emergences,. Isle of Man. — The following few notes may, 

 perhaps, prove of some interest to the readers of the Hcan-d. The 

 spell of fine weather experienced here during the early part of May 

 caused quite a number of insects to emerge, some of wliich, in ordi- 

 nary seasons, do not make their appearance for a fortnight or three 

 Aveeks later. Dlanthoccia capsophila was taken on May 8th, a large 

 percentage of the specimens being worn and worthless for cabinet 

 purposes. Eupitliccia nmosata was out in some numbers on the 10th, 

 hovering over flowers of Silenc mantima. Hccatcra soma and 

 Suierinthus i^opidi on the 12th. Diant/iocria cac.sia, Heliotlds umbra, 

 Ct'rnra vlnula, Hepialus rdlcda and Cwullia niiibratira on the 13th, 

 the latter coming to floAvers. On 17th May the following butterflies 

 were out : — Vwrishrassicae, P. napi, P. rapac, CociuDn/iiijiha jiaiiijiliilm, 

 C/iri/sophanm pJilocas, Poli/oiiniiatus icarus, Paran/c iiii'f/acra. For 

 the last three or four days the weather has been somewhat cold and 

 unsettled, and insects have been scarce. I may here mention that 

 Mr. William Garrett, of Ramsey (who is working the north coast of 

 the island), brought to me a number of the 7>. rapsnpldla above referred 

 to, which were caught by him on the evening of the 8th, some of 

 which (judging by their appearance) had been on the wing for fully 

 a week prior to that date.— H. Shortridge Clarke, F.E.S., Sulby 

 Parsonage, Lezayre, Isle of Man. Maij 2\st, 1806. 



Dates of fikst appearances. — Continuing my previous notes on 

 this subject [Ent. Peconl, vii., p. 316) I have now to record the 

 following: — Pieris rapae and Anticlca nii/rofaficiaria, on April 4th; 

 ISclcnia tetralnnaria, HoiicropJiila ahnqitaria, Alucita licxadartijla , on 

 April 9th; Eupit/wria rxh/ata, Satuntia paronia, on April 15th; 

 Cidaria sujf'umata, April 16th ; Pieris napi, Parari/c ci/eria, F.urldo'e 

 cardawines, Siirichtlnis vialrac, Kmatioya aUnnaria, Mekniijipc sociata, 

 on April 17th; Ci/ajiiris ar;iiolus, P. pctraria, Corcniia fcrrw/ata, on 

 April 19th. Satuniia paronia was probably out earlier than April 

 15th, as it is only found on heather some distance from my house, 

 and I had not been there since the 4th. C>/aniris aniiolm did not 

 appear this year until April 19th, although I daily visited its head- 

 quarters here. My earliest date for this species is a worn 5 on 

 Slarch 27th, 1892. It usually appears about the end of the first week 

 in April.— E. F. Studd, M.A., F.E.S., Oxton, Exeter. 



:]^OTES ON LIFE-HISTORIES, LARY^, &c. 



Food-plants of Dyschorista suspecta.— So far as 1 am aware, very 

 little has yet been published concerning the larva of this species, and 

 I was not aware of any recorded food-plant, except birch. It may, 

 therefore, be of interest to some entomologists to know that I have 

 just been rearing a batch from ova on Populus balsam ifcra, on which 

 they thrive admirably. The larvte hatched before birch was available 

 to me. I found they would also feed on sallow. — Louis B. Pkout, 

 F.E.S., 12, GreenAvood Road, N.E. May 12t/i, 1896. 



On the food-plants and pupation of Melit.tea aurinia. — Refer- 

 ing to Mr. Wolfe's remarks on the early stages of Mditaca aurinia 

 [Knt. Pu'c, vol. viii., p. 4), I venture a few observations on the habits 

 of this species in this district. I invarialily rear the larva' on honey- 

 suckle, which, in my experience, they prefer to the plant I take them 



