212 IHK KNTO.MOLiXJISTS HKCORI-. 



They fpcl up well on sheep soi-rel and wood bOi-rel. — (t. 0. Day, F.E.8., 

 Knutst'ord. 



Eakly spring lepidoptera. — The unsettled weather of eai'ly March 

 made it most unpleasant even to go into the woods for P/iir/alia pcilaria. 

 Asphalia riaricnrnis, however, appears to have emerged directly the 

 east wind and the frost left, and during a long walk through the woods 

 about March 20th, 1 only found a single worn 5 . My mam reason 

 for writing is, hoAvever, to ask if it is usual for Hi/beniia (Ict'oUana to 

 be taken in January, as Mr. Htudd records. The species here is out in 

 late October and Moveiuber, at the same time as H. aiirantiaria and 

 ( 'heunatnbia boreata, and, at that time, any number may be taken sitting 

 on the bare twigs between H p.m. and 10 p.m., with the aid of a strong 

 lantern. — F. C. Woodforpe, B.A., F.E.S., Market Drayton, Salop. 

 March 22nrl, 1904. 



Late appearances of Hybernia defoliaria. — With reference to Mr. 

 Woodforde's remark (sujira) as to the time of appearance of H. defoli- 

 nria, 1 find on referring to my journal that 1 am quite right in record- 

 ing its occurrence here in January, and, although 1 cannot explain 

 why, 1 find that the darker, more unicolorous. forms occur more fre- 

 quently then than earlier in the season. The imagines must come out 

 in this district in a constant succession from mid-October to the 

 middle or end of January according to season, as 1 take them quite 

 fresh during this time. My series consists of the pick of thousands of 

 examples, and only contains absolutely perfect ones, ajid 1 find in it 

 now, insects labelled — January 21st and 22nd, 189B, January 11th, 12th, 

 13th, 14th, and 28th. 1894, January 13th, 16th, 20th," 22nd, 23rd, 

 1896, January 11th, 12th, 1897, January 7th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 1902. 

 These are all males. I found records of females as follows : Two bred 

 January 2nd, 1897 (from dug pupce), 2 bred January 25th, 1897 (also 

 from dug pupa-). In 1894, 1 see I had in my traps on January 11th, 

 25 males, January 16th, 11 males, January 30th, 1 male; in 1896 a 

 fresh female was taken on January 22nd, and males as late as Feb- 

 ruary 9th ; in 1897 I entered numerous males on January 31st and 

 February 3rd. In 1899, 1 saw a fresh male on February 9th, and, in 

 1901, numerous males on January 22nd. It might be useful if collec- 

 tors in other districts would give actual dates of the appearance of this 

 species in January and February, as here at least such appearances are 

 by no means uncommon. — E. F. Studd, M.A., Oxton. Exeter. March 

 26t/i, 1904. 



Sprin(; Lepidoptera. — Whether it be due to the cold unsettled 

 spring weather, or possibly to the unfavourable breeding-seasons of 

 last summer (1903) and the preceding one (1902), or to both causes 

 combined, I do not know, but lepidoptera here ai-e exceedingly scarce. 

 I have paid two or three visits to localities where l^hiijalia jicdaria and 

 Ihjbernia IcncupJuwaria are generally common, but although, on Feb- 

 ruary 20th, two friends and myself searched carefully, we only found a 

 single $ /'. pcdaria and a S H- leiu-ophaearia, whilst on the other 

 occasions we saw nothing. On February 20th a 3 /'• pedaria was 

 captured at light, and an example of 11. inariiiitaria on P'ebruary 23rd. 

 On February 22nd, Hybernia riipicapraria was fairly common at Great 

 Ay ton. Indoors I have been breeding Amorpha popidi and ( idaria 

 silaceata. Some time since there was a note published in the I'jit. 

 Record relating to the winter feedintr of certain Acidalias in confine- 



