34 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



NOTES ON THE MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA OF SOUTH DEVON. 

 By W. Francis de V. Kane, M.A., M.R.I. A. 



When recording my capture of Callimorpha hera, near Wood- 

 bury, South Devon, in your September number, I promised to 

 communicate a list of species taken in that neighbourhood. The 

 list now appended is composed of captures by myself or residents 

 whose collections have been examined and identified by me, and 

 localities ascertained. Exeter is, I find, considered not to be a 

 prolific locality for Lepidoptera ; and from the long residence 

 of the late Rev. J. Hellins in that city, and the existence of a 

 local society, one would conclude that the immediate vicinity at 

 least has been well worked. 



Nevertheless, I believe the district lying four or five miles to 

 the south is worthy of more careful investigation. Having had 

 no experience in England hitho'to, I am no judge of the 

 comparative richness of localities there ; but certainly there are 

 few parts of Ireland which would seem to offer such a number of 

 interesting species. 



Arriving at Winslade early in August, I found the country 

 scorched and parched with the drought. Lyc(E)ia icarus was very 

 plentiful, and showing what I have noticed abroad, that the insect 

 had suffered in size from the dry condition of the herbage. The 

 larvse of tlie genus Lyccena, for the most part, delight in a 

 succulent condition of their food, and the dry level wastes of 

 Spain and the South of Europe produce a numerous but under- 

 sized progeny. By the haunts of a stream near, I was delighted 

 to find Hadena dissimilis in some numbers, and Pterostoma 

 pal'pina among various commoner species. 



Near Woodbury, I took, as already recorded, a specimen of 

 Callimorpha hera. I cannot help thinking that this beautiful 

 insect has found its way hither from Jersey, as fishing-smacks 

 and luggers are constantly in the estuary of the Exe, either 

 wind-bound or with a cargo of fruit from that island. Zonosoma 

 porata I also took in some numbers. A specimen of St'dbia 

 anomala turned up at Budleigh Salterton. At Exmouth I could 

 not do much collecting. On the sand-hills I noticed that various 

 burrowing Hymenoptera were extremely numerous and of various 

 species. 



