J (J .January, 



working it. Ampliidasys betularia is never a very abundant species 

 here, but the few I did see were, without exception, of the black form, 

 and two of the females were among: the largest I ever saw. Gidaria 

 immanata was abundant, but few pale ones, and some almost entirely 

 rich velvety-black ; the only C. russata I saw was also a black one. 

 Thera variata was of the dark Scotch form, and Boarmia rhomhoidaria 

 were all of the perfumaria variety, as is always the case with us. 

 Among the small moorland Hysipetes elutata, the black and very dark 

 forms seemed to largely preponderate as usual. In an abundajice of 

 Minna strigilis, the specimens were almost without exception of the 

 black var. cetliiops, not a single pale one, so far as I saw occurring 

 among them ; whilst black and dark brown Xylophasia polyodon were 

 so frequent that one might have been sugaring in a Highland wood. 

 In the spring Diurnea fagella was in abundance, but I do not think I 

 saw a single pale one, and many, perhaps most, were inky-black. On 

 the other hand, Hihernia progevimaria did not appear to me so dark as 

 I have seen it in some former seasons ; and the same applies to PoJia 

 chi, which, however, was much scarcer than usual. 



Turning from melanism, the most noticeable event of the year 

 was undoubtedly the extraordinary abundance of Orthosia suspecfa, 

 which occurred in far greater profusion than I have before seen it, 

 the birch woods seemed " alive" with it — thousands of it everywhere. 

 It even found its way into my own, and, no doubt, all the neighbour- 

 ing gardens and houses. Earlier in the season twigs of birch, 

 gathered casually for feeding other larvae, had suspecta larvae on 

 them, and yet until quite recently [this larva was scarcely known. 

 On some evenings we noticed the females in numbers depositing 

 their eggs, with the long ovipositor, in the crevices and under the 

 bark on the trunks of the birch trees. Another species which 

 occurred in unusual numbers was Cloantha solidaginis, in all the 

 woods having an undergrowth of bilberry, and especially common 

 in the Savile Wood ; it also came into the garden, as did Noctua 

 glareosa, Agrotis lucernea, Eubolia cervinaria, &c. Larvae of iV". 

 glareosa were found both this and last year feeding commonly on the 

 leaves of the wild hyacinth, which is, I believe, an unrecorded food 

 for the species. After some years of apparent scarceness, Acidalia 

 inornata occurred commonly in the Savile and Meltham Mills Woods ; 

 and the same may be said of Eupithecia fraxinata on the ash trees on 

 the north side of the town. Acidalia fumata was common in one 

 locality ; as was Scodiona helgiaria on Crosland Moor. Sadena glauca, 

 Acronycta menyanthidis, Xylophasia scolopaciiia, Dasi/polin TcmpU, 



