CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 321 



three on every lamp — wliile last year I only saw one during the season. 

 Can any of your readers explain the appearance of the second brood, 

 which to me is a complete puzzle ? — Fkakcis R. Bkuce ; " St. Margarets," 

 Uckfield. 



Vanessa c-album in Kj^nt. — I had this morniog the sa'c'sfactiou of 

 taking a fine female example of V. c-alhum in my Hide town garden ; our 

 latest dates of its occurrence are in 1887 and 1882, in which latter year 

 no less than seven specimens were captured near Walmer. The insect is 

 very uncommon and sporadic with us, generally appearing in localities 

 apart and at some distance from each other. — Sidney Webb ; Maidstone 

 House, Dover, Oct. 13th, 1894. 



AcHERONTiA ATROPOS IN SUFFOLK. — Following upon the report of ray 

 friend Mr. Pyett's capture of this moth at Toxford, I have the satisfaction 

 of reporting that three larv?e of this species have passed through my hands 

 during September. All came from one garden at Hadleigh, and were 

 handed me by the occupant. He found them all crawling on a path, and 

 had been exhibiting them as curiosities. Tn captivity they would not 

 touch potato, and appeared to be gradually dying, and one did eventually 

 die, the other two turning to rather undersized chrysalids on the surface of 

 the earth. They are being carefully tended, but their successful turning 

 is a matter of doubt, to be solved in the future. — Harry C. Grimwade ; 

 1, Cromwell Street, Ipswich, Sept. 24th, 1894. 



Sphinx convolvuli in South Devon. — On the evening of Sept. 29th, 

 whilst walkuig along by the side of a large bed of Nicotlana affinis, I saw 

 two specimens of S. convolvuli, but failed to capture either. I determined, 

 however, to visit the same spot each evening at twilight, with the hope of 

 seeing them again, and on Oct. 1st I was successful in taking one at 

 7.30 p.m., which proved to be a very fine specimen of the male, and 

 measured 4f inches across the wings, having the scarlet markings much 

 exaggerated. Is it not rather late for this species to be on the wing? The 

 specimen has been added to the extensive Colby House collection. — 

 R. S. Chope. 



Callidium variabile. — Last July I took some thirty-odd examples of 

 this beetle at Wootton, Berks. They varied considerably, both in size and 

 colour, the testaceous form, however, predominating. The majority were 

 taken at rest in the evening on a number of thick oak branches standing 

 in the corner of a farmyard, the remainder being discovered at night on 

 the trunks of apple-trees growing in an adjoining orchard. — F. W. Lam- 

 bert ; 70, St. Giles, Oxford. 



Note on the Season at Chichester. — I never remember such a bad 

 season for Lepidoptera as the past. Of butterflies there were almost none, 

 and moths were nearly as scarce. The first Lycana argiolus which I 

 saw was on May 1st. A few specimens of Colias ediisa were noticed in 

 September by a friend. I did not see any myself; this may have been due 

 in a measure to the scarcity of clover this year in the neighbourhood. 

 Antidea rubidata, of which I bred a fine series, first began to appear on 

 May 17th, and continued to emerge during June; the insect in a wild 

 state was much delayed this year. The larvse of Acromjcta aceris were 

 fairly abundant in August. Sugar was a complete failure, one or two speci- 

 mens of Catocala nupta being the only decent takes. On Aug. 29th I took 



