KOtES ON COLLECTING. 19 



other common things turned up rather freely. Cymatophora duplaris, 

 Acronicta leporina, Aplecta Tierhida, and one or two others, were 

 decidedly scarce. Diantlwecia conspersa was netted at campion 

 flowers on the Kincardineshire coast, but they were generally scarce. 

 During July, August, and up to this date, sugar has been an absolute 

 failure. This is all the more regrettable from the fact that it is 

 usually most productive there. I never, in any previous season, 

 experienced such a complete dearth of insects. However, when I 

 found that sugar was not a success, I turned my attention to flowers, 

 and captured a nice series of Noctun sobrina, Agrotis simulans 

 (pyrophilaj, A. lucernea, Miana literosa, Triplmena orbona {comes), 

 and its aberrations, Cnradrina taraxaci (blanda), Mnmestra fnrva, 

 Noctua dahlii, etc. AtMuchalls, on the Kincardineshire coast, I succeeded 

 in capturing a few beautiful I'lusia brnctea, being my first acquaint- 

 ance with this insect in a living state. The Agrotids on the 

 sand-hills have been conspicuous by their entire absence ; not one 

 turned up at sugar, marram grass or ragwort. Butterflies, 

 generally, were fairly represented, so far as they go in this 

 part of the world. Taken altogether, this has been undoubtedly the 

 worst season that I have ever experienced. Many good species that 

 usually turn up in greater or less numbers failed this year to put in an 

 appearance in any shape or form. — Arthur Horne, Aberdeen. 



Collecting AT Portland, ETC. — My experiences have this year (1896) 

 been rather limited, but, so far as I have seen, the season in this neigh- 

 bourhood has been bad. The genus Af/roti>!, at Portland, has been 

 scarcer than usual, very few A. lucernea, fewer A. liuii;/era, and no 

 A. piivophila have occurred, and the commoner Noctuids were not in 

 their usual numbers. Geometrides also were not abundant. I cannot 

 call it a good Micro year ; but I think they fared better than the 

 Macros. Knniiclda. ciiii/nlalis, which I have found very irregular in 

 its appearance at Portland, was commoner than usual, as was also 

 Scoparia mercurella and its var. pnrtlandica. On the other hand, 

 Phijcis dilutella was scarce, and Kpiachnia bankedella very scarce. I 

 obtained a good series of two species, of which I have before taken 

 only two or three odd specimens, viz., Gelechia (listiwtella and Lita 

 salicorniae. Tinea suhtilella was rather commoner than usual, but the 

 other little Portland species, T. rinculella, which has now turned up 

 in Purbeck, was scarce. — N. M. Richardson. 



Ivy in Devonshire. — There was a fair number of visitors at ivy 

 from the beginning until the third week of October. Six Tiliacea 

 (Xauthia) anrai/o turned up, three males somewhat worn, three 

 females in fine condition. I suppose they come out a little later and 

 fly less. I am keeping (Oct. 25th) the latter for eggs, and find that 

 they lay generally on the stems of the branches of beech, especi- 

 ally in the axils of the leaves and shoots, and rarely scatter their 

 eggs on the muslin, as so many other moths do in confinement — 

 AncJiucelLs rufina for instance. This latter is a famous layer, much 

 more prolific than I have found T. aura<io. Orthosia luta has been 

 abundant, with a good many of the red form, ab. rufa, which, 

 I think, is only taken in the south. (>. macilenta is, as usual, to the 

 fore in numbers, with the usual variations. Orrhodia caccinii and 

 O. lif/ida seem very scarce, especially the latter, and only a few Miselia 

 oxyacanthae have put in an appearance. Cidaria siterata is also 



