1887. J 197 



portion was still standing and in full vigour of life, another lay at 

 full length like a fallen tree of considerable size, rather than a branch, 

 and the third, falling in another direction, had split and half crushed 

 a smaller oak near it. At the edge of the split in the trunk of this 

 smaller oak I found a fine specimen of the curious form of corylata, in 

 which the centi'al band is wanting. The vast limb which had fallen 

 on this tree was the resort of numbers of Eupithecia castigata, some 

 of them very dark and curious, and Capua ochraceana was more than 

 usually common about it, while the other great fallen limb already 

 mentioned, which had not only been struck down, but actually burnt 

 out by the lightning, seemed to be a favourite resting place for 

 GeovietrcB, and even Hadena contigua. In its degree this old tree 

 looked almost as massive a ruin as many an old castle, and the abund- 

 ance of insect life under its protection was very curious. From 

 another large oak trunk I obtained a very large specimen of Cidaria 

 russata, which was nearly black. Extraordinary to relate, this species 

 was very scarce, I only saw one other specimen. 



Among Vaccinium myrtillus under the trees PTioxopteryx myrtil- 

 lana abounded, very pretty and rather variable, and for numbers, 

 amazing! Early in the month, Incurvaria masculella also occurred, 

 though not very commonly, among the Vaccinium. Its presence 

 there was perplexing, there certainly being no hawthorn near.* 

 Equally curious was the occurrence, on the hill tops, of ThecJa rubi, 

 flitting about the Vaccinium, sucking the flowers, and resting on the 

 leaves when the sun was obscured. (This was an error in judgment, 

 for the green of its under-side did not match that of the Vaccinium, 

 and the little butterfly became thereby conspicuous.) No broom or 

 Genista was to be found anywhere near, nor any plant on which it 

 could reasonably be supposed to feed in the larva state. In very 

 sheltered places Nepticula myrtillella was sometimes to be found, and 

 among the heather Pleurota bicosfella, sometimes very large, and, at 

 the end of the month, rather abundant. 



In the fir woods Fidonia piniaria was, oi course, Sbbuudant, and 

 interesting from the intermixture there, as in Derbyshire, of the 

 southern cream-coloured males and orange females, with the white 

 males and brown females of the north. On the alders in the swampy 

 Talleys well marked varieties of Hypsipetes impluviata and Melanippe 

 subtristata were to be found, and on one occasion a most beautiful 

 black variety of Cymatophora duplaris fell from a branch of one of 



* I have found Incurvaria cases commonly amongst Vaccinium inyrtilhis at Pitlochry, hut 

 did not know to which of the species they belunaed.— H. T. S. 



