1888.] 29 



obtaining them being by looking up at the overhanging oak boughs, 

 when the larvse could easily be seen lying half curled under outside 

 leaves drawn slightly together. From these a lovely and variable 

 series of the moths emerged this spring. The larva of Tceniocawpa 

 oniniosa was common at the same time, but vei'y many were destroyed 

 while small by a parasite, which, on emergence from the larva, formed 

 for itself a queer hard case, like a large caraway seed, and deeply 

 ribbed, within which it made the usual silken cocoon. I suppose I 

 kept these too dry, for no parasite emerged. Between the ravages of 

 these enemies, and the unfortunate propensity of Tceniocampa for 

 dying in the pupa state, I lost nearly all my hoped-for miniosa. 



Since the extraordinary invasion of these islands by vast swarms 

 of Plusia gamma and Cynthia cardui irom the continent in 1879, there 

 has been in this district a marked scarcity of the former usually 

 abundant species, and an almost total absence of the latter. I think 

 I may safely say that I did not see a dozen P. gamma last year, and 

 certainly not one G. carditi. It was, therefore, with no little interest 

 that I noticed in the beginning of May this year, that the whole 

 country had suddenly become lively with P. gamma, rising hastily 

 every minute from the road-sides, and dashing wildly about the fields, 

 and ten days later that they were joined by large numbers of C. cardui. 

 It seemed curious to see half a dozen of the latter on a patch of 

 AUiu7n ursinum, enjoying the nectar of the flowers, entirely uncon- 

 scious of — or, perhaps, approving — the peculiar fragi-ance of the plant. 



In the case of P. gamma, it was noticeable that, although in toler- 

 able condition, the specimens were certainly different in colour from 

 those usually found in this district, being more of a slate colour, and 

 paler beyond the middle of the fore-wings. In this they were very 

 uniform. From this, as well as from their time of appearance in such 

 numbers, I judge that they were not natives. All the C. cardui were 

 also rather pale, being worn from evident hibernation, but as there 

 were none here last autumn, nor any larvse, they could not well have 

 hibernated here. Moreover, on their first appearance, they were ex- 

 ceedingly- wild and swift of flight, although it was a full fortnight 

 earlier than they would have, in ordinary course, left their places of 

 hibernation. 



All the evidence, therefore, seems to point very strongly to an 

 immigration from some warm climate of a swarm of both these species, 

 just as in 1879. To reach us they must first have visited the south 

 or south-west of England, and information on the subject from those 

 districts would be very desirable. In 1879, C. cardui accomplished its 



