SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 245 



forewings very much advanced. But they appear to be careless, even 

 when fully awake, tending on the whole to be correctly orientated, 

 and certainly preferring to be head downwards. Quite frequently they 

 spread the hindwings completely, and the forewings partially. They 

 sit on fences, heather, ling, gorse, and perhaps other plants. A ^ 

 with closed wings seen from above really does suggest a gorse pod. 

 He has the same woolly, blue-white appearance. The forewing is 

 always sunk as completely as possible behind the hindwing, and this 

 as soon as the wings are closed. One 3 " sawed " his hindwings, as 

 blues so often do. i hope to cut sections of him and see if he was 

 troubled by internal parasites. 



Ai/riades thetis, June 13th, North Downs, Kent. — Sunny at 

 intervals, windy, no rain. Males are always correctly orientated, if 

 the sun is shining. The insect always settles on flowers of Hippo- 

 crejns (once on Myosotis). The insect is distinctly wary, and you 

 must exercise care if you would approach within a yard of it. The 

 ? is perhaps less careful about orientation. 



Aiujiades (Hesperia) si/lvanus, June 29th, Rhinefields, New Forest. 

 — Both sexes, settling mostly on Erica, also on Orchis maculata. 



Anthrocera meliloti, July 1st, New Forest. — A male was taken with 

 two stamens of Orchis macidata adhering to its face. The day 

 following was sunless, stuffy, and thundery. The insects were flying 

 all the same. Surely this is unusual in a Burnet ? 



Miltochrista viiniata. — From observations made in early July in 

 the New Forest by Mr. G. Storey and myself we concluded that the 

 S' flies at early dusk, and not later ; one $ not till it is time for 

 entomologists to " light up." Mr. Storey and myself took five ? s 

 while we were lighting our lamps one night. They all flew in towards 

 two yards of ditch from different direction. Can they possibly have 

 been flying to a (? ? 



JS'octtia primulae {f estiva), June 18th, Fairhill, Tonbridge, etc. — 

 This species is more shy at sugar than most other Noctuae. It does 

 not get decently drunk till after 10 p.m. 



N. bntmica and N. triangulum, June 30th, New Forest. — Sugaring 

 notes for June 30th say " warmer and cloudier than last night. 

 Brunnea more abundant, triam/ulitm less so." If this happens regu- 

 larly, and is not accidental, it must mean something ! 



Plusia chrijsitis (g), June 12th, Fairhill. — At light. This 

 specimen had two orchidaceous stamens attached by their sticky discs 

 to the ventral surface of its eye, one on each side. I identified the 

 stamens with practical certainty as those of Habenaria bifolia. 



Geometra papilionaria. — I bred a good many specimens this year 

 from near Rugby, and noted the time of emergence fairly accurately 

 for several specimens. 



These results are not very full, but I think they do point to the $ 



