74 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



looked for at the right time. The same night a sohtary male 

 Oporahia filigrammaria was netted flying over the heather. Tapino- 

 stola fulva flew commonly over the marshes in the evening, 5.30- 

 7 p.m., but was beginning to look worn by September 15th. When 

 they settle, they go right down to the roots of the grass and sedge, 

 and are extricated only with difficulty. An odd specimen of Celcena 

 haworthii was taken, but no Agrotis agathina, although the latter 

 occurs. A considerable number of a long white-striped green larva 

 w^ere beaten from Scots fir (Thera variata ?), but nearly all were 

 " stung." At the same time, larch yielded the variously tinted larvae 

 of Odontopera hidentata, several Macaria liturata, and numbers of 

 Eupithecia lariciata, the latter in both forms, the green, however, 

 greatly predominating. 



October 4th saw the opening of the " ivy " season. Species noted 

 were Cerastis vaccinii and G. ligula, both common ; Xanthia circel- 

 laris and Miselia oxyacanthce, showing signs of wear; one Plusia 

 gamma; and one Orthosia Zoto -not a brilliant start! On the 6th 

 Orthosia macilenta and Phlogophora meticidosa joined the above- 

 mentioned species. Gidaria viiata was flying commonly but some- 

 what passe. Oporahia dilutata was also in evidence, but the males 

 were none too fresh. Several larvse {sambncata f) were found 

 suspended by short threads from the ivy-leaves. On October 10th 

 we paid a visit to the oak-wood for 0. dilutata. The males began to 

 fly at 8.30 p.m., and several freshly emerged females were taken from 

 the oak- trunks and from the heads of grass-stems. It would almost 

 appear that a great number of thread-spinning larvae allow themselves 

 to drop, when full-fed, direct to the ground rather than descend by 

 way of the tree-trunk ; so many insects may be found drying their 

 wings on grass-stems many yards away from the tree-trunk. The 

 same night we took the first male Himera pennaria, although this 

 species did not become really plentiful till October 30th, and by 

 November 5th it had disappeared. One specimen each of Cheima- 

 tobia brumata and Hyhernia dcfoliaria were noted on October 10th. 

 October 20th, a bitterly cold night, with strong north wind, so wild 

 and seemingly unsuitable that I hesitated to ask my friends to 

 accompany me, I went down at dusk to examine the ivy-bloom. 

 Moths swarmed ! Moreover, they disdained to take advantage of the 

 sheltered flowers, liut seemed to prefer the top of the wall, where 

 they were lilown about so forcibly by the wind that selection of 

 specimens was well-nigh impossible, hcopclosoma satelUtia was the 

 only new species, if I except four belated wasps. Certain it is, how- 

 ever, that the " dusk" flights are the strongest. This we were able to 

 confirm at sugar on the 27th. The first round, 5.30 p.m., found 

 several moths on every patch ; afterwards, up to 8.30 p.m., not a 

 single new arrival ! Only one Galocampa exoleta has been taken this 

 autumn, and again no Agrotis saucia. On the 27th, male Hyhernia 

 aurantiaria began to appear ; some were found, freshly emerged, on 

 the dead bracken in the wood ; later (October 30th, November 3rd 

 and 5th), they could be taken pretty commonly after dark on the 

 twigs of various trees. Several paired examples were captured on 

 November 5th ; the males evidently fly just at dusk, and then not 

 again till about 10 p.m.; after November 8th none were seen. About 



