305 



FOUR MONTHS' COLLECTING IN THE ISLE OF LEWIS. 



Mr. McArtlmr, whose return from a four months' expedition 

 to the Isle of Lewis we announced last month (ante, p. 288), has 

 again been successful in adding to our knowledge of the lepidop- 

 terous fauna of that part of Great Britain, but, as was naturally 

 to be expected, not to the same extent that he did in 1887. 

 Altogether, the increment amounts to seventeen species, but of 

 several of these only one or two examples were obtained. The 

 additions to the list published in the ' Entomologist ' for 1888 

 (xxi. 25-27) are — Vanessa urtica, Macroglossa stellatariim, Noto- 

 doiita dromedarius, Stilbia anomala, Acosmetia caliginosa, Agrotis 

 simidans, Noctua augur, Triph(sna janthina, Pachnohia ruWicosa, 

 TceniocamjM gothica, T. stahilis, Hadena rectilinea, Cucullia ver- 

 basci, Plusia iota, Cidaria miata, Carsia paludata (one), Euchromia 

 arbutella. 



Some species that were abundant in 1887 were not seen at all 

 this year. Bombi/x rubi, for example, was in swarms all over the 

 island on Mr. McArthur's previous visit, but he did not observe 

 even one on this occasion. On the other hand, Dicranura vinula, 

 of which species only one specimen had been previously met 

 with, was fairly common, both as imagines and larvae. 



Hadena rectilinea was represented by two female examples, 

 both larger and darker than those occurring on the mainland. 

 A fine batch of ova was obtained from one of the females, and 

 the larvae resulting therefrom were fed up on sallow. Unfortu- 

 nately, just when full grown, they all, some two hundred odd in 

 number, died within four days. 



Vanessa urticce was seen in considerable numbers during the 

 spring on Eye peninsula, but these were left to perpetuate their 

 kind. Later on in the season, three journeys were made to the 

 locality, with the view of finding larvae of the species, but with- 

 out success. A fourth trip, however, resulted in the capture of 

 two imagines, which, from their fine condition, had not long 

 emerged, left no doubt that larva had fed up there. 



Lyca>na icarus. — Some of the males have black dots on the 

 outer margins of the hind wings (upper surface), and the propor- 

 tion of such specimens is, perhaps, greater than was the case in 

 1887. 



Hepialus huniuli.—ln the course of his observations on the 

 habits of this species, Mr. McArthur noted that the males, after 

 having attracted the females and paired, fly around tree tops and 

 the upper ridges of the cliffs, &c. The specimens were quite 

 normal. 



Agrotis cursoria.—The Shetland form of this species occurs 

 in Lewis, but not in Orkney. 



Noctua brunnea.— AW the specimens have a beautiful violet 

 tinge. 



