346 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Mr. John W. Downing's Collection. — This collection of British 

 Macro-Lepidoptera was dispersed at Stevens's on October 23rd. On 

 the whole the condition of the specimens was, perhaps, not quite so 

 good as usual. Mr. Downing, however, was well known as a pretty 

 constant frequenter of Stevens's sale-rooms, and his collection contained 

 numerous excerpts from many of the principal sales held there for several 

 years past. Two lots of five and six specimens each of Aporla cratceiji 

 (which is rapidly advancing in price), with others, fetched 26/- and 

 30/-. Pairs of Pieris daplUUce, with Leucophasla sinapis, &c., went for 

 30/-, and 21/-. Fifteen Chnj soph anus dispar ranged from 90/- for 

 a fine female to 45/- for an indifferent male. They were, however, all 

 more or less damaged or repaired, and decidedly, as far as condition 

 was concerned, were below the average specimens of this scarce species 

 recently disposed of, which no doubt accounts for the moderate price 

 obtained. A very fine black male Lyrana adonis went to a well-known 

 collector of this group for 70/- ; whilst three and four specimens of 

 L. acis, with other decent things, were not dear at 21/- a lot. Dicraniira 

 bicuspis, mostly from Dr. Gill's collection, went chiefly to Devonshire, 

 at an average of about 9/- a specimen. Mr. Bidwell's Ipswich 

 Notodo7ita trilophiis fetched 26/-. Tiiere were some fine examples of 

 the old fen form of Ocneria dispar from Dr. Gill's collection, which 

 realised 10/-, 8/-, and 8/- a lot. Twenty IMia cmwsa, sold in pairs, 

 fetched from 32/6 to 20/- for two females, with pupa-case. Two lots 

 of half-a-dozen each of Lithosia mohjhdeola and L. caniola brought 30/- 

 and 28/- ; caniola alone fetching 26/- and 18/-. Six ]:^ola centonalis and 

 eleven ^V. alhidalis fetched 26/-. A fine specimen of Deiopeia pulcheUa — • 

 mdeed one of the finest I have seen, taken by W. J. Austen at Folkestone 

 — was cheap at 26/-. Two others, not authenticated, with other things, 

 only realised 12/-. A pair of Lasiocampa ilicifolia, with no history 

 other than " Cannock Chase," went for 30/-. A specimen of Leucania 

 vitellina, taken by Mr. Downing himself, made 18/-. Two others, one 

 by Meek, 16/-; remaining two, no data, with nineteen other Leucanidfe, 

 went for 7/-. A fine lot of eight Senta ulva, including one very nice 

 var. ivismariensis, for which there was sharp competition, was captured 

 for 42/-. Four lots of five Nonar/ria hrevilinea, with camm, neurica, and 

 other good things, fetched from 7/- to 14/- a lot ; one of the lots, at 11/-, 

 included two of the var. sinelinea (Farn). Specimens of Laphygma 

 exiffua, one from Sheppard's collection, fetched 8/- and 12/- ; whilst 

 two Pachetra leucophmi, from Wye Down, with others, only cost their 

 purchaser 8/-. Of Xoctna suhrosm there were four pairs and a triplet, 

 which made from 63/- a pair to 26/- for the three. Some fine vars. of 

 Tmiiocampa gothica, including var. gnthicina, with seven Pachnohia 

 alpina, went for 13/-. A fine black Dianthcecia conspersa var. obliterts 

 of Robson (doubtless from Unst), with ten D. casia and four good 

 D. harrettii, went for 26/- ; other similar lots of D. barrettii realising 

 from 26/- to 20/-. The gem of the collection was a remarkable 

 mottled variety of Venilia maculata, in which the ground colour and 

 the colouring of the spots apparently changed places ; this made 80/-, 

 With this exception, I noticed nothing very special amongst the 

 Geometras. — Thos. W. Hall, 



