NOTES ON COLLlCCTING. 21 



no (juesfcioil about its being a British specimen, as the border of its 

 wings are almost pure white. I have seen this insect myself, and as 

 I have a few Continental specimens of E. antiopa, I have no doubt 

 about it being British. It is now in possession of Mr. Cran, of Ellon, 

 a young collector. Mr. Cran told me that about six weeks before this 

 one was taken, he saw one of this same species rise from the top of a 

 small sallow tree, and, although he was within a yard of it, lost it, 

 owing to not having his net. Perhaps this may have been the same 

 insect, as Ellon is only three miles from Logierieve. This is the 

 second specimen of this rare insect which has been caught in Aberdeen- 

 shire this season. The other is recorded ante, vol. viii., p. 310. — Wm. 

 CowiE, 5, Canal Street, Aberdeen. October 2Qth, 1896. [Mr. Home 

 has also sent a " cutting " from the Biicluai Observer relating to the 

 same insect. — Ed.] 



PoRTHETRiA DisPAR AS A BRITISH INSECT. — The editor's accouiit of 

 the habits of this species, as investigated by him at Aix-les-Bains and 

 Bourg d'Aru, is most interesting, and is the excuse for my writing to 

 ask whence the present (so-called British) race of P. dhpar originated. 

 It would take a good deal to convince me that it is derived from the 

 " old Fen strain," which must have been extinct in England for at 

 least 25 years. If, as is popularly supposed, the present race is of 

 Continental (European) origin, I must protest against the very casual 

 way in which nine out of every ten entomologists admit a series into 

 their cabinets without labelling it as foreign. Personally, I would not 

 allow one to be seen on my premises ! Most, if not all, dealers include 

 it in their catalogues, and price it among British species. Only last 

 month, I happened to be " talking entomology " with a dealer, Avhose 

 insects are beyond suspicion British, and in reply to a question of 

 mine, as to why he included P. iJispar in his list, he said he supposed 

 that everyone knew it was of foreign origin. Surely this is hardly a 

 satisfactory state of affairs, especially as the slipshod admission 

 of these foreign P. dispar into nearly every English cabinet, is rather 

 apt to detract from the value of the few genuine old P. dispar which 

 still survive, and, I take it, they are not very many. Moreover, many 

 beginners and collectors, residing in the country, admit these P. dispar 

 into their collections under the impression that they are British. Only 

 this May I met an entomologist, hailing from Kobin Hood's county 

 in a well known Midland Avood, and during our confabulation he 

 informed me that he had lately got a new cabinet, and was re-arranging 

 his collection. When I suggested that he should not insert a foreign 

 series of P. dispar, you would hardly believe what a long face he 

 pulled. It has haunted me almost ever since. The bare idea of 

 eschewing a series of the " Gipsy moth " was a great deal too much 

 for his equanimity, and he went away, if not a wiser, yet perhaps, a 

 sadder man. — (Eev.) G. H. Raynor, B.A., Hazeleigb Rectory, Maldon, 

 Essex. P)ec., 1896. 



Aplecta advena and Xanthia aurago. — Aplecta advena was very 

 abundant, though rather worn, this spring, in the same locality as it 

 occurred last year. It came very freely to the flowers of bladder 

 campion, Silene injiata. What is the food-plant of the larva ? "Lettuce 

 and garden herbs " are given by Newman. I have recently taken ten 

 specimens of Xanthia awwio (six in lovely condition) on ivy here. 

 Until this year I have only taken it singly, and in widely-separated 



