50 [February, 



different collections I have hardly seen anything worthy of the term " variety." In 

 the individual captured by Mr. Prout,for I which propose the varietal name pallida, 

 the ground colour of the fore-wings is white, and at the base is a small patch of 

 dark scales ; the space between the first and second lines, containing the typical 

 stigmata, is lightly peppered with black scales, and stands out conspicuously against 

 the pale ground colour as a broad darker central fascia. The only other noticeable 

 markings are the usual line of black dots, and the small, black, wedge-shaped spot 

 at the extreme hind margin. This specimen, which ia a 9 , and with which Mr. 

 Prout has most generously enriched my collection, has particularly interested and 

 delighted me, because, although its ground colour is not quite so pure a white as in 

 those varieties, it is an exactly parallel form to Sc. mercurella var. portlandica, 

 Dale, of which good figures will be found in Ent. Mo. Mag., v, pi. i, fig. 10, and in 

 Leech's Brit. Pyral., pi. 15, fig. 5 ; to Sc. duiitalis var. purbeckenxis, Bankes (Proc. 

 Dors. N. H. and A. F. Club, x, 202, pi., fig. 8; Ent. Mo. Mag., xxiii, 258) ; and to 

 the grand nameless variety, figured in Entom., xiii, pi. 4, figs. 1 and 2, of Sc. alpina. 

 — Id. : January 11^A,1895. 



Another British example of Xanthia ocellaris. — I am asked by Mr. A. Wyndham 

 Peach to record the occurrence of another specimen of Xanthia ocellaris, Bork., 

 which was taken by Mr. F. Cannon, of Richmond, near Wimbledon, in October last. 

 He found it sitting on a gas lamp, and did not recognise it at the time, so made no 

 special search for others. This specimen is not of the dark form previously recorded 

 (var. lineago), but of the light, bright, ordinary European type, and really is a very 

 pretty specimen. Its apex is scarcely so much pointed as in the specimens previously 

 secured, and it would undoubtedly pass muster as a brightly marked A. ffilvaffo, 

 were it not that the nervures beyond the middle of the fore-wings are distinctly 

 white, and the round spot in the lower half of the renal stigma is also filled up 

 with white.— Chas. Gr. Barrett, Nunhead : December, 1894. 



The disappointing season of 1894. — The past season in this district (Reading) 

 has been very disappointing, from an entomological point of view, although, during 

 the early part of the season, many of the commonest species were very abundant, 

 notably Hybeniia leucophearia, of which many interesting forms were taken, some 

 almost melanic, and others v ery pale. Vymatophora ilavicornis, Brephos Par- 

 thenias, Tephrosia punrtularia, Micropferyx purpurella, M. semipurpurella, M. 

 calthella, M. Sparmannella, were all fairly abundant ; M. salopiella was also taken 

 on several occasions. Several of my friends also succeeded in t&king Endromis versi- 

 color ; I saw it myself on two occasions, but did not take it. Siauroptis fagi we 

 did not take at all, although searched for on many occasions. During June I made 

 several journeys to Basingstoke in search of Sesia sphegforniis, hut only on one 

 occasion did I succeed in taking it, and that a wet dull afternoon. A friend and I 

 started searching the alders, and on the foliage and stems we managed to secure six 

 between us, one pair of which I took in cop. between 3 and 4 o'clock in the after- 

 noon ; we also took a nice series of S.formicaeformis in a small osier bed near by. 

 Sugar has been a complete failure, the most common species being alii.ost entirely 

 absent; during July I sugared nightly for a fortnight for Calgmnia pgialina, hut 



