228 LEPIDOPTERA. 



began to despair of capturing any but a very much battered 

 specimen which I had caught at first. One would appear 

 coming straight for me, and when I was all alive to get a 

 stroke as it passed, off it would whisk out of reach of the 

 net. When nearly worn out, and thoroughly disgusted with 

 both the moths and myself, I observed one stop and buzz 

 over a piece of heather, and as I was gently stealing up to it 

 another joined it and commenced to hover over the same 

 piece. Here, I thought, is some attraction, and the best 

 thing that I can do is to take my stand near that piece of 

 heath. Having done so I in a very short time captured as 

 many specimens as I wished without any difficulty, sometimes 

 catching two in my net at once. Every specimen that passed 

 on the lee-side came to investigate this piece, when they 

 were easily taken as they hovered over it. I thought that 

 the object of attraction must be a virgin female concealed 

 among the herbage, but could find nothing when I examined 

 the spot ; and in order to find out what could entice them to 

 this place I stood quiet and left several specimens to pursue 

 their investigations unmolested while I watched their move- 

 ments. Some of tbem contented themselves with a very 

 cursory examination, but others were more particular : they 

 alighted upon the heath and crept to what appeared to be a 

 bit of dried stick, and having walked round it and examined 

 it on all sides off they also flew. Having fully satisfied 

 myself that this apparent bit of stick was the source of 

 attraction, I examined it and found that it was the dead 

 body of a moth, devoid of wings and legs, so that it was 

 impossible to say what species it had been, but from its size 

 most likely A. myrtilli. From its bleached and dried appear- 

 ance it must have been dead some time, yet this dry carcase 

 enabled me to catch as many of this lively little species as 

 my boxes would contain, in a very few minutes/' 



On open heaths, moors, or mosses throughout the United 

 Kingdom, except perhaps the Shetland Isles, and in very 

 many districts in plenty. Abroad it seems to occur through- 



