TRIFID^. 191 



April, the scene is sometimes quite bewildering ; a small 

 shake of a branch will bring down dozens, scores, or some- 

 times hundreds of moths, of this and other species, which 

 drop upon the grass or the ground, or even water if it is 

 underneath, and may be ]iicked up without the smallest 

 difficulty. After a few minutes those which are left at 

 liberty begin to run up the plants and buzz about, and soon 

 return to their feast. Naturally the collector soon learns to 

 adopt the easier method of holding an inverted umbrella 

 under the branch of sallow which he means to shake, when 

 the moths may be heard to drop into it, sometimes in 

 showers, and seen with the aid of a lantern sitting quietly 

 within. It must, however, be admitted that they show a 

 rather undue preference for the undersides of the ribs of the 

 umbrella. Another method of collecting is by placing large 

 white sheets over the ground beneath the bushes, and where 

 the bushes are very large this is advantageous though rather 

 cumbrous. On the other hand, where the sallows are small, 

 such as young shoots from cut-down stocks, the best plan is 

 to use the lantern so as to box the moths on the catkins, 

 holding a hand-net beneath to catch anything which may 

 drop. A^arieties are easily selected by this method. These 

 suggestions apply quite as strongly to the other species of 

 this and some allied genera as to the present. 



There is a common belief that moths become intoxicated 

 by feeding upon the honey of sallow-bloom and blackthorn, 

 as well as at sugar, yet this cannot well be the cause of their 

 apparent helplessness when disturbed, since they will fall as 

 promptly and stupidly just after settling down as after feeding 

 for some time, but they certainly rouse themselves and fly 

 again more quickly. Yet a strong argument in favour of the 

 belief in the intoxication or stupefaction of the moths at 

 sallow-bloom is found in the circumstance that cross-pairino- 

 or unnatural union of the sexes of different species seems to 

 occur more frequently under such circumstances than in any 

 other. In one instance on record, in which a female of the 



