Z THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



again obtained Cerura bicusjns, whilst among the Lasioeamps, Dr. 

 Freer's re-discovery of Gostropacha ilicifolia is the most noteworthy 

 capture. The re-introduction of Calop/iasia plaUjptera to the British 

 list, and the addition of a supposed new species — Lencania faviador, 

 are the most noteworthy facts among the Noctuides. Xijloutit/e.t 

 con-yncillaris, Lnicania alhijiuncta, L. ritellina, and Catocala nupta ab. 

 cacnilcacens have all been recorded, and four Dasi/canqia nibit/inen were 

 taken at Reading, whilst Caradrina amhij/iia has occurred in Devon, as 

 well as in the Isle of Wight, and is undoubtedly a much commoner 

 species on the South Coast than has generally been supposed. 

 Triphaena snbscqua occurred in its early, as well as later, brood, whilst 

 Plnsia bmctea was bred by Mr. Finlay, and P. moneta appears to have 

 become almost common. The breeding of Pachnobia hi/perborea ab. 

 alpina in considerable numbers, is probably also worthy of record. 



The micro-lepidopterists have been quite active this year. Mr. 

 Bankes is to the fore with Coleophara (/lit zcUa a,nd Anji/rcstkio atmorella. 

 Mr. Durrant has separated the old (ieUelna pdidla into (i. pdiella and 

 G. fiuppeliella. He also recorded > the capture of a large number of 

 Cedestis t/i/ssdinella, Bind gave us notes on Ste;/aHopti/cha pyifwaeana. 

 Lord Walsingham has discarded An/i/restJiia illuininatdla as British, 

 and Dr. Chapman has determined the cases of Soloiobia triqiietrdla, in 

 Sidebotham's collection, to be identical with those of S. iucunspicudla. 

 Mr. Bankes decides that Nepticula <jei must be called N. fraijariella. Dr. 

 Sharp comes across Knocephala caltheUa, and wants to make a 

 Trichopterid of it. The present writer has papers on " Sciap/nla 

 penziana and S. colquJwunana " and Coccyx cosmophorana. All micro- 

 collectors are indebted to Mr. Atmore for specimens of Aryyresthia 

 atmorella. 



The destruction of our local insects has loomed large this year. A 

 paper by Mr. Hodge, in our pages, set the ball rolling ; a discussion at 

 one of the Ent. Soc, of London's meetings gave it a fresh impetus, 

 and at present it is moving with considerable force. In our opinion 

 (and it seems to be a very general one), action has not been taken 

 before it is needed. We are, we believe, good field naturalists ; we 

 think little of the purely closet naturalist ; yet there can be no doubt that 

 collecting is very much overdone in Britain, and, without hindering 

 bona fide collecting, one does want to find a means of stopping those 

 men who, posing as amateurs, go year after year to the same localities, 

 obtain the same species of insects for exchange, and never make a 

 single scientific observation about the insects they do their best to 

 exterminate. We wish the committees, now considering the best 

 means of dealing with the subject, all success. 



The periodical excitement about Tcphroda hhtortata [creptiscularia) 

 and T. crepuscularia (biundularia) is almost inexplicable. So is that 

 about Bomby.v qnerciis and B. callnnae. Probably it is because these 

 two pairs of insects form the best illustrations, in our fauna, of 

 "species " in the process of formation. Too much of a good thing, 

 however, becomes somewhat tedious, and we doubt whether many 

 British lepidopterists have not had quite enough of these. 



We cannot report very satisfactory progress in the number of 

 Fellows our annual appeal obtained for the Entom. Soc. of London 

 during the past year. The large average of the two previous years has 

 not bean maintained, and there must yet be a very large number of ento- 



