240 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



found here certainly hybernates in the imaginal stage, as I generally take 

 a few examples on the moor in the early spring, and the moth is plenti- 

 ful in August. What is its likely foodplant on the moor ? I do not 

 think Stachys si/lvatica grows there, at least I have not seen it anyw^here 

 near the spots where A. aea)it/io(larti/la occurs. — (Rev.) C. D. Ash, M.A., 

 Skipwith. ^fay 2nd, 1904. 



Lepidoi'tera in Hants. — Spring insects seem to have been very late 

 and extremely scarce in the New Forest. On May 3rd, I worked all 

 day in the forest, and only obtained four Boarmia dnctaria and two 

 Enpitliecia irrii/nata after hours of searching. By the end of June, 

 however, collecting has greatly improved and insects are fairly plenti- 

 ful, although sugar is, up to the present, absolutely useless. The most 

 important capture in this neighbourhood has been that of I'hri/.nis 

 linirnka, of which species about a dozen have been taken. I had one 

 brought to me on May 20th, but, unfortunately, it had been rather 

 roughly treated. This specimen was kept in a tumbler for two or 

 three days, and then transferred to a cigarette box, in which it laid one 

 e^g, which duly hatched, the larva now feeding on vine. Mr. Hooker 

 had one brought to him a week after, Mr. McEae took three at 

 rhododendrons, and Mr. Jackson three more. Dr. Crallan had two or 

 three brought to him, one of which laid about twenty eggs, some of 

 which he kindly handed over to me to keep mine company. j\Ir, 

 Harpur Crewe, of Melton, took one which flew into his room, and Mr. 

 Druitt, of Christchurch, saw one on several occasions, but failed to catch 

 it, whilst ^Ir. Dallas also saw one which he failed to secure. Whitsun- 

 tide was spent at Lyndhurst, but insects were scarce and the weather 

 bad. A few Litliuaia aiireula, Kiqiithecia inixillata, Ilapta taininata, JJ. 

 teijierata, etc., being taken, but only very sparingly, whilst sugar pro- 

 duced nothing. More recently in this neighbourhood I have been 

 taking at dusk Kiimwlcsia affinitata and K. ilecolorata, and during 

 the day Kutheiiionia ritt>^ula, Nciiioria rin'ilata, Kiilc/iia crihnini, 

 Lithusia viesaniella, Afipilates strif/illaria and r/iycis /lalinnbclla. Good 

 larviB, such as those of Xola sti-ij/ida, Ili/lnphila ijucrcaii", Jioannia 

 roboraria, A.y/halia riilens, etc., have been almost extinct for the past 

 two years. — H. B. Robertson, Southborne Road, Boscombe. Juve 

 21t/i, 1904. [Considering that the yafural History of th<: British Lcjd- 

 (loptera, vol. iv., was published before these 1904 specimens of 

 P/tryxns lirornica were captured, and that it was there stated, on p. 150, 

 that descriptions of the egg and first two instars of this species were still 

 absolutely desiderated by European lepidopterists, w^e do sincerely trust 

 that Dr. Crallan or Major Robertson has added, now that opportunity 

 has occurred, these scientific details to our knowledge, and will pub- 

 lish the same. To simply rear a species like this for imagines (of 

 which dozens of examples are available from dealers at a few pence 

 each) appears to us to be purposeless, compared with the completion 

 of our knowledge of the life-history of a common species, of which 

 eggs and young larvas however, are rarely enough obtained. — Ed.] 



Spring Lepidoptera. — Habits of Micropteryx aureatella. — Owing 

 to cold winds very little could be done in the spring, either with larva3 

 or with perfect insects. Larvae of Ayrotis ayatJiiita have been very 

 scarce, and only single examples have been swept where dozens would 

 be obtained in an ordinary season. The same remark applies to 



