NOTES ON COLLECTING. 247 



season are shared by other entomologists, as I personally never had 

 such a poor one. A week at Towyn with two of my sons only brought 

 us half-a-dozen of each of Charaeas graminis, Agrotis tritici, and 

 Brgophila perla, with specimens of a few other species. This result 

 after the early, unexpectedly early, start of the season has made it doubly 

 disappointing. An outing to Earlswood, on February 11th, gave us 

 our start with Plug alia pcdaria, and also with a Syntomid on the last 

 day of the frost, from Messrs. Cadbury's Cocoa Manufactory, that had 

 just emerged and been knocked down with a sugar-bag. It was sup- 

 posed to be a species from San Thome. (The species is Ceramidia 

 butleri, and is a native of Central Africa, G. T. B.-B.) The following 

 week P. pedaria were again in evidence, but a visit to the woods on 

 February 25th, with no net and, from habit at this time of the j^ear, 

 with only a few pill-boxes, found the wood literally alive with Hibernia 

 leiicophaearia, a sharp shout causing them to fall from the tree trunks 

 like the leaves in an autumn wind after a night's frost. We took a 

 few picked specimens and added to them P. pedaria, H. bnonata, 

 Hibernia progeminaria, and one A^pJialia jiavicornis. March 3rd added 

 Alwphila [Anisoptenjx) aescularia and repeated the above list. The A. 

 fiavicornis of this date was resting on a loop in the railway-paling wires, 

 but, unfortunately, was a spent female. March 24th found all the above 

 species still about, but Hibernia leucophaearia had given way to Panolis 

 piniperda, while March 31st gave us a fine female Paclujfi (Amphidasis) 

 strataria. The Easter week gave us Lobophora carpinata (lubiilata) and 

 Tephrosia crepnscularia, the latter nearly all of the dark form. Later 

 on Maleiiydris multristigaria was seen. I had forgotten to say 

 that on March 21st I was delighted to see both sexes of 

 Gonepteryx rhamni flying well in the woods, and following much the 

 same round were male F.ncldo'e cardamines. Was not this very 

 nearly the earliest date for the latter species ? Now began a close 

 hunt for Tricoptery.v riretata, which was fairly successful. The first 

 specimen came on April 24th, one only, and also our first Callophrys 

 rubi, a few Celastrina argiolus and T. crepiixcidaria. April 28th, added 

 Satitrnia carpini to this list, with another T. viretata. May opened 

 with seven Lasiocampa qiierctis larvfe, apparently part of a brood on 

 the edge of a golf green. Two of these emerged on June 15th, one 

 came out later, and the others are lying over presumably to become 

 var. callmiae. On the same date we added to our takings Mamestra 

 (Hadena) glauca and Lampropteryx auffumata, while seven T. viretata 

 were captured. May 12th added Dicranura rinida, male, Notodonta 

 phoebe (dictaea), Gonodontii^ bidcntata and Diipalus piniaria, and T. 

 riretata was at its highest. The next week, May 19th, repeated all 

 but D. vinula and A^ phoebe (dictaea), and added Cidaria corylata, 

 Epirrita (Oporabia) dilutata, and a batch of unknown ova. May 27th 

 gave us Leptosia sinapis, Ma))iestra (Hadena) genistae, Anaitis plagiata, 

 Polygonia c-album, Ligdia adastata, C. temerata, Eidype (Melanippe) 

 liastata, and the usual common species of May. Brentliis selene had 

 also just emerged, and, last but not least, we took six Arctia rillica and 

 a batch of ova laid on the leaves of a young lime tree disclosed to us 

 during a rough wind. This date was spent around Lydney and 

 district. After May our captures have decreased week by week till 

 lately we get little or nothing from our outings. I have given the 

 dates above as they may be useful for comparison with the experiences 



