CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 145 



just as if a coating of snow lay upon them. — J. Hy. Fowler; Poulner, 

 Ringwood, Feb. 1894. 



Observations in North Middlesex, 1893. — The past entomological 

 season, throughout England, has been chiefly remarkable for the uniform 

 high temperature, prevalent from the earliest weeks of March. Here the 

 sallows were in full flower on March Ilth, while by the 23rd the hedges 

 had everywhere assumed their spring foliage. On April 5th the birches were 

 in leaf in Oxhey and Pinner Woods, the wild cherry-blossom at the same 

 time being very abundant and fine. Cold winds during the second week in 

 April rather checked the general advance, but on the 17th I noticed that 

 most of the forest trees were green, and the grass in all the meadows was 

 burnt up. How the drought developed, and continued practically until 

 November, I need not add. The effect upon insect-life was everywhere 

 apparent, the majority of species being at least three weeks before their 

 normal time. In the list of observances and captures appended will be found 

 several insects new to the Middlesex fauna, or at any rate not recorded in 

 Mr. Cockerell's valuable Catalogue, published in the ' Entomologist ' (vols. 

 xxiv. and xxv.), and in my notes (xxvi. 57). The credit of these new dis- 

 coveries is due to the diligence of Mr. George Wall, who has furnished me 

 with an interesting list of Lepidoptera observed at Grims Dyke, the 

 boundary estate of Middlesex at this point; but the greater number of his 

 captures are represented by single specimens, so that it is impossible to judge 

 of the relative abundance of the novelties enumerated. I have also included 

 the captures of Mr. C. H. Peers, of Harrow- Weald Rectory, with Mr. Wall's 

 and my own. Of the Rhopalocera, Gonopteryx rhamni was the first to put 

 in an appearance on Feb. 19th, with Vanessa urticcB a few days later. On 

 March 25 th, a bright day with a cloudless sky, Pieris hrassiccB and P. rapes 

 were about everywhere. Euchloe cardamines I did not see until April 23rd ; 

 but on May 6th, Argynnis euphrosyne, Lycaiia icarus, Polyommatus phlceas, 

 Ccenonympha p)amphilus, Nisoniades tayes, and Syrichthus malva (the latter 

 literally in thousands), were flying in the meadows about Pinner Woods. 

 After May, the butterflies were not much in evidence, except P. phlceas, 

 which was extremely plentiful, the last entry in my note-book showing that 

 it was still about on Oct. 29th. V. atalanta, too, was out early, and con- 

 tinued to be common down to Oct. 21 st, when it suddenly disappeared ; but 

 of V. io 1 saw but a solitary hyberuated specimen on March 30th ; while 

 F. cardui, usually an occasional visitor, was in the same way entirely 

 wanting. The discovery of this neighbourhood by the speculative builder 

 will, I fear, soon destroy some of the best collecting-grounds in Middlesex, 

 hitherto almost as much terra incognita to Loudon entomologists as to the 

 more unwelcome bricks and mortar. But there is still plenty of room for 

 exploration ; and, so far as I can judge, as I never meet collectors, the 

 county has by no means received its fair share of attention. During 

 August and September both Mr. Peers and I were away. Subjoined is a 

 complete list of species observed, those followed by a * being, I believe, 

 additions to the already published lists of the county : — 



Rhopalocera {l^ species). — Pieris brassicse, P. rapae, P. napi, Euchloe 

 cardamines, Gonopteryx rhamni, Argynnis selene, Vanessa urticse, V. io, 

 V. atalanta, Epinephele ianira, Ccenonympha pamphilus, Lycsena icaris, 

 Syrichthus malvae, Nisoniades tages, Hesperia sylvanus. 



Heterocera (195 species). — February; Hybernia rupicapraria, H. leu- 

 cophsearia. March : Asphalia flavicornis,* Taeniocampa gothica, T. incerta, 



