238 THE ENToaiOLOGlST's RECOkb. 



Egg of Grammesia trigramjiica ab. dilinea, Hb. — Ova laid June 

 12-18th, 1897, scattered. Pale straw-colour, much mottled with silvery- 

 white. Shape, f of a sphere; average vertical axis, 'oGl mm. ; average 

 diameter, -675 mm. There are 28 (in some 29) very prominent ribs, 14 

 primary ones radiating from the circumference of the micropylar area, 

 the secondary ones arising a little lower down. Between the two there 

 are regular series of transverse ridges, slightly elevated, about 5 in 

 each, "182 mm., which give a honey-combed appearance to the surface. 

 The micropylar area is a pale straw-coloured space, somewhat 

 depressed and irregular, -09 mm. in diameter, with a small rosette 

 in the centre, -06 mm. in diameter, made up of about 1-1 silvery- 

 white dissepiments radiating from the micropyle. On the third day 

 after deposition there was a conspicuous irregular straw-coloured band, 

 midway between the micropyle and the equator, which became darker 

 yellow on development. There was no further change in colour, and 

 the ova hatched on June 24th. — W. S. Riding, M.D., F.E.S., Buckerell. 

 Julu 'Sr,l, 1897. 



:]^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Notes from Carlisle. — Since the middle of May, Lepidoptera have 

 been more abundant here than during the earlier part of the season. 

 Melitaca aiiruiia was, as usual, in great force. No matter how the 

 season affects other species, upon M. auriiiia it appears to have no 

 influence, and year after year it flits about its chosen haunts 



in hundreds, in thousands, in . But enough, if I say 



more I shall not be believed ; let it suffice if I say that, unless the 

 fields it frequents are drained and ploughed, ^[. auriitia will continue 

 to flourish. Lepidopterists are not numerous enough here to materially 

 reduce its numbers. Ciipido minima was also abundant ; one could 

 easily take half a dozen with one sweep of the net. I have had two 

 excursions for Cocnoni/mpha tip/ion [danis), but have had little success 

 with it. After waiting for over a week for a sunny day, I set out on 

 Jubilee day, in dull blustering weather, for Bowness Moss. But it Avas 

 blowing half a gale in this exposed locality, and, though I saw quite 

 a lot of ('. tiplioii, I only secured a dozen. One has to work up to the 

 ankles in water (sometimes up to the knees when one gets in a " peat 

 pot "), and running is quite out of the question. On June 26th I 

 visited the Bewcastle district, in the north end of Cumberland, and 

 again saw C. ttp/ion in numbers, but the conditions were much the 

 same as before, and I had hard work to get a short series. In the 

 bleak districts which this interesting species haunts, calm sunny days 

 are not frequent. I have " sugared " seven or eight times, and only 

 had one good night. Several times, when meteorological conditions 

 appeared to be perfect, not a wing was to be seen. The following are 

 among what I have taken, and nearly all on the one good night : — 

 Thjatira batis, CijiinUnjiIiora or, < '. duplart's, Leucania comma, Cuspidia 

 psi, C. Icporina, Vlminia ntiiiicis, I', mrnj/anthidis, Ar/rotis fn't/etuvi , 

 Lycophotia stn't/ula (very common), Xoeturi fontira, Caradrinamnrplwm, 

 Xi/loijhasia rurm and var. combnsta, Apamca iicmina, A. baailiiwa, 

 Mamratra pisi, lladcna nana [dcntina), H. thalassina, II. adusta, 

 Marnrin lifnrata and ('rnmbiis dniiictdliis. On railway banks in the 

 sunshine, Kiulidia ulijpliica and E. mi were common among heath. 



