140 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



returning to the boat, when I noticed a bank of clouds coming up in the 

 distance ; thinking they would probably cause a slight breeze to spring up 

 when they got nearer, I lit a pipe and waited ; the clouds came over, and 

 the light wind which came with them dispersed the mist, causing a warmer 

 feeling in the atmosphere. In a few minutes insects were on the wing, and 

 I returned home with full boxes in lieu of empty ones, patience (with a 

 little knowledge added) meeting, in this instance, with its due reward. — 

 G. H. Conquest; 6, Greeuleaf Koad, Hoe St., Walthamstow, Feb., 1891. 



Collecting in the Neighbourhood of Worksop in 1893. — Now 

 that the season of 1893 is over, and the new year has dawned upon us, I 

 have gathered together the records of the past twelve months, in the hope 

 that they may not be altogether uninteresting to tlie readers of the 

 ' Entomologist '; for although this district cannot boast of a fauna such as 

 attaches to the New Forest, or even other less-favoured localities, still it 

 may possess some slight interest in being one but little known or worked by 

 entomologists. And here I should like to mention that, although distant 

 only eight miles from Sherwood Forest, except where specially mentioned, 

 I have not included it in the radius of miles worked. I am in hope, too, 

 that this paper may prove especially interesting to the increasing number 

 of lady entomologists, as (with a few exceptions) the whole of the Lepi- 

 doptera named have been taken by my mother, my sister, and myself, 

 during our country drives and rambles. For this reason it will be noticed 

 that the Noctuae are very poorly represented, owing to the little night-work 

 that has been done. The season here, as elsewhere, was a particularly 

 early one, our first captures occurring on Jan. 30th, on palings, when we 

 took two Hyhernia leucophcEaria and three Cheimatobia bnuiiata. These 

 continued throughout February, and in March were joined by H. j^fogem- 

 maria, Anisopteryx cescularia, Larentia multistrigata, Scutosia dubitata, 

 Phigalia pilosaria, Scopelosoma satellitia, TcBiiiocmnpa gothica, T. cruda, 

 and Cerastis vacciiiii. On March 21st the first Brephos parthenias was 

 seen, and on the 23rd and 29th we sought it at its head-quarters in 

 Sherwood Forest, only to find it as abundant as ever and in perfect con- 

 dition. We took a beautiful series, the fore wings being greatly varied, and 

 shading from light to dark through many gradations. As I have read of 

 many failures to take B. parthenias this season, perhaps a few notes as to 

 its habits, gathered from personal observation, may not be without interest. 

 The place where we principally take this species is a long grass drive in 

 Sherwood, and here anyone may be certain of getting a good bag. It is 

 only necessary to go on a bright sunny morning in March, and look in the 

 rioht place, which is not up amongst the birch trees, round which countless 

 numbers can be seen flying, but down on the ground. B. parthenias loves 

 the suushiue, and may be seen every few yards basking in it on tlie ground, 

 forming a lovely picture as he sits with fully expanded wings on the bare 

 sandy patches, or olive-gret-n of the grass-grown drives, the orange of the hind 

 wings contrasting brilliantly with the sober colouring of the surroundings. 

 In this way it can be easily taken ; but if by any chance it should be 

 missed, it is quite useless to give chase into the woods, as the colour of the 

 under side blends so perfectly with the dead bracken that it is quite impos- 

 sible to keep it in sight for more than a few yards. I have been told that 

 B. nutha often frequents the same localities as B. partlienias, but I have 

 never been fortunate enough to see one, although I have always been on 

 the look-out for it. During the next few mouths our list of Geometers was 



