CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 105 



L. alexis. The dark marginal shading of the lower wingp, in the Delamere 

 forra, is often replaced by seven black spots. These spots also appear in 

 the females, and enclosed in crescents of orange-red, frequently repeated 

 less distinctly on the margins of the upper wings; the orange-red is often 

 entirely absent in this sex. All tliese marginal spots and crescents I found 

 most pronounced in specimens obtained at Abersoch (Carnarvonshire). The 

 females were abundant on the 19th of July ; and it was an interesting 

 sight to see them all asleep on the heather-tops, at Delamere, at five o'clock 

 in the afternoon, both sexes, and in every case head downwards. Coming 

 back to June 30th, I picked thirty-four cocoons of Z. jilipendulcB from the 

 heather, in the hope of getting the variety with the lower wings orange. 

 Years ago. from a dozen or more larvae taken a few miles from Chester, 1 

 reared a couple of examples of this orange form. I have never seen the 

 variety since. From the thirty-four cocoons several of the moths appeared 

 with the two apical spots on the upper wings confluent. From nineteen 

 larvae of A. ashworthii I had nine moths in June and July — a poor result ! 

 Mr. Gregson used to say the species would never become extinct, but, as 

 far as my experience goes, it is decidedly becoming scarcer, either as larva 

 or imago. Acting upon information, as our friends the police would say, 

 I examined, accompanied by another brother of the net, on June 18th, the 

 flowers of the goat's-beard on the Dee embankment for larvae of Hecatera 

 Serena. We were too late; but scores upon scores of the flower-heads had 

 been hollowed out, presumably by these caterpillars. At the electric lamps 

 history repeated itself, but, throughout the whole season, not so liberally as 

 in last year. We had not the contiimed high temperature of last year. I 

 took a specimen of Charidea umbra [Heliothis marginata) on the night of 

 June 5th. Mr. A. O. Walker's record for the insect is — " Wallasey; New 

 Ferry; generally scarce. Rhyl." On June 6lh I captured a fine, fresh, 

 but much belated Taniocampa (jothica. Some years ago I netted a T. 

 stabilis, also in June. Tephrosia crepuscularia should be classed among 

 late appearances, as the species was continuously seen in April, May, and 

 June. Two fresh specimens, dark forms, we captured in Delamere Forest 

 on June 9th. 



July. — On the 19th we netted four worn specimens and one good example 

 (the last a female) of Ccenonympha davits on a Delamere h^ath. Among 

 dragonflies Lestes sponsa was more abundant than ever, ^schna juncea and 

 Sympetrwa scoticui/i were just out, and L. diibia was nearly over. On the 

 2iih 1 was among the Denbighshire Lepidoptera. I particularize the date, 

 as it was one of the hottest in the summer, and I shall probably never 

 forget its pleasures. One of my experiences was standing on a limestone 

 precipice. There was a very abrupt, but friendly, slope ; for a per- 

 pendicular descent is calculated to disturb humanity. Wherever the debris 

 had lodged was a wealth of flowers of all colours, and the butterflies came 

 sailing up in dozens at a time to taste their sweets. Three times higher 

 than the sycamore-trees below stood I, and yet I was tempted to descend to 

 the flowery beds and net Vanessa cardui, Satyrus semele, Lycana astrarche 

 [agestis], and other butterflies. But discretion is the better part of valour. 

 On the hilly slopes about. Herbula cespitalis, Ennychia cingulata {cingu- 

 talis). Cianibus inqninatellus, and Leioptilus osteodactylus were common. 

 Miinaseoptilus bipunclidactyla was abundant, in the middle of the month, 

 about the Chester hedgerows. My best captures at the electric lamps were 

 Charocainpa elpenor, A. nigricans (not at all a common insect with us), 

 Melanthia bicolorata {rubiginata), Nephopteryx spissicella = roborella (a 



