1 884. J 257 



Captures in the Isle of Skye. — After leaving Harris, I spent three days at 

 Dunvegan, Sligachan Inn, and Portree, and took : Pieris rapes, Argynnis Aglaia, 

 Chortohiuspampliilus, Cidoria. russata, Metrocampa margaritata, Eupithecia lariceata, 

 Boarmia repandata, large and fine, Larentia ccesiata, Abraxas grossulariata, Tortrix 

 vihurnana, Mixodia Schulziana, Aphelia pratana, Sericoris lacimana, Pardia tri- 

 punctana, EupcBcilia angustana, Cramhus erieellus and culmellus, Lepidocera bison- 

 tella, Pleurota bicostella, Pterophorus tephradactyhis, Phryganea ohsoleta, Hemerohius 

 humuli. and Vespa arborea. I was quite pleased at seeing grasshoppers and other 

 insects, wliich apparently do not exist in the outer Hebrides. — Id. 



Botys urticata in January. — The account in this month's Magazine of the 

 abnormal advent of Botys urticata reminds me of a similar adventure with an 

 individual of the same species that befel me in or near the year 1856. It was in 

 the kitchen of a country house near Worcester, on the 27th of January, after dark : 

 a snow storm prevailed at the time, and the wind was bringing smoke and snow 

 down the chimney, in the direction of which I was looking, when, with one of the 

 gusts came down into the room a recently-emerged and scarcely expanded specimen 

 of Botys urticata. The creature was preserved, and, with its somewhat crumpled 

 wings, remained in my collection several years. — J. E. Fletcher, Happy Land, 

 Worcester : March 5th, 1884. 



Botys urticata in February. — I had read but a line or two, of the notice at 

 page 227, in this month's Ent. Mo. Mag., when I ventured to guess there would be 

 in the kitchen some sage or other herb belonging to the Labiate family ; and that 

 the full-fed larva of Botys urticata in its cocoon, having been brought in with these 

 leaves, had, by a rare chance, been forced by the warmth to transform, and produce 

 the moth thus early, instead of drying up, as would almost sure to be the case, if 

 one tried such an experiment. The larva is well known to feed on a variety of 

 plants besides common nettle, spinning its cocoon in the autumn, and remaining 

 unchanged through the winter, like so many otliers of the group. I have bred the 

 moth at the usual time, by keeping the cocoons in cages out of doors, having often 

 found the larvse on some plants of horehound {Marriihiiiin viilgare) which are growing 

 freely in my little town-garden. These plants are sometimes cut in the autumn, 

 and hung up to dry in the house for use as a domestic medicine during the winter : 

 80, possibly, a similar experience to the one recorded may come under our obser- 

 vation some mild winter's day. — W. R. Jeffeet, Ashford, Kent: March Wth, 1884. 



Botys urticata frequenting mint. — My eai'liest acquaintance with Botys urticata 

 dates from nearly 50 yeai-s ago, and I well remember my boyish delight on starting 

 this pretty insect from a bed of mint in my father's garden. I probably saw half- 

 a-dozen specimens, but struck at them so wildly in those days, that I doubt whether 

 I boxed more than one or two. 



I used, however, to revisit this mint-bed again and again, and, during the season, 

 rarely failed to meet with one or more of this brightly contrasted species. Hence, 

 it is always associated in my mind with culinary herbs. — H. T. Stainton, Mounts- 

 field, Lewisham, S.E. : March 13th, 1884. 



