268 THE entomologist's record, 



lamp, and at sugar a very black Apamea ocnlca [didyma), and Af/rotis 

 puta. Sugar, however, has been ahnost a complete failure, yielding 

 little more than Catocala nupta, Hi/ilrotria micacea, and the very 

 common species. During August and September some good Neumnia 

 pnpularla, including one female, were taken at light, and early in the 

 latter month FJnnomos aJniaria {tiliaria) a,nd Anaitis plai/iata . October, 

 as yet, has yielded only E. alniaria, Cidaria miata and Ortholitha 

 cervinata {cervinaria). — Joseph Anderson, Jun., Aire Villa, Chichester. 

 October, 1896. 



Abundance of Pararge megyEra and occurrence of Aporia crat^gi. 

 — The feature of the year with us has been P. nm/aera. As in my 

 boyhood, this butterfly has fairly swarmed, and, faithful to its name, 

 not a wall of ten yards in length but had, at its second brood, an 

 equal number of the insects flying about it. Aporia cratatyi has been 

 almost abundant in its now almost unique locality, whence numerous 

 specimens were brought to show me alive in a single chip box, of 

 course, irretrievably ruined. Poh/oinmatus hellanju^ has been a visitant 

 to my garden this year, the first time in twelve years. Ennomos 

 antunmaria has shown up, as usual, in the garden. — Sydney Webb, 

 Dover. 



Rarity of Colias edusa in 1896. — With an almost frostless 

 winter, such as the last, the absence of Colias edusa here is unaccount- 

 able. They were certainly not plentiful last autumn, but sufficiently 

 numerous to hope for better things. It would appear, therefore, 

 that, like C. hijale and Arininnis lathonia, they are not truly British, 

 but that the supply is regulated by the ova deposited here in the 

 spring by Continental travellers. I have only heard of three speci- 

 mens so far, one in June. — Ibid. 



Butterflies in 1896. — I should call this a good butterfly year. 

 Cyaniris aryiolus was unusually abundant, and about for a consider- 

 able time. Pararr/e megaera was almost common, although, in this 

 district, I have never known the insect other than rare before. Pohj- 

 ommatus icarns was abundant everywhere. On the other hand, 

 Vanessa io and Pyrameis atalanta have been scarce. I saw one fine 

 fresh P. atalanta on October 2nd, whilst Colias edusa has not been 

 seen. — W. M. Christy, M.A., Watergate, Emsworth, Hants. 



C. argiolus (as I have recorded) has been unusually abundant here, 

 so also has Pararge megaera, but all other species, with the exception 

 of Pohjommatus icarus, have been scarce. I have not seen a single 

 specimen of Pyrameis cardui or Vanessa io. EucJdo'e carda))rincs was 

 fairly common, the Pierids less so. — J. Mason, Clevedon Court Lodge, 

 Somerset. 



Collecting in Devonshire. — The season here has been, on the 

 whole, a very good one. Butterflies fairly numerous, especially 

 Cyaniris argiohi.t, of which there was a very large (in number) second 

 brood. I have neither seen nor heard of Colias edusa yet, no Pyrameis 

 cardui, and no Vanessa io. The latter, which used to be very plentiful 

 here years ago, has got quite scarce of late years. Sugar, as usual, 

 has been almost a complete failure, but light has been very 

 successful. Many things which are usually very scarce here have 

 been comparatively common. For instance, I have been able to fill 

 up a long series of the following, of which I previously had only an 

 odd specimen or two, w. ; — Notodonta trepida, Aventia Jisxula, 



