34 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



to Windermere and from Coniston to Kendal — at last re-discovered 

 the larva and found a new locality, which, I helieve, was then 

 the only locality for reticulata. 



It was within a few yards of two public roads, where the wild 

 balsam, Noli me tangere, actually grows on both sides of the roads. 

 It was necessary to keep this locality a profound secret in order 

 to prevent the extermination of this rare moth, and therefore we 

 were never to be seen with a net catching moths at such a public 

 place, and consequently we only visited the locality at the 

 beginning of October when the larva? were fall-fed. 



The striking looking plant, with its peculiar smell and its 

 bright yellow flowers, makes a special mark for botanists and 

 entomologists. 



Having been warned that I was being watched by other 

 collectors, I took special precautions ; sometimes riding a bicycle 

 and sometimes going part of the distance in a rowing boat on the 

 lake, I successfully evaded all pursuers, and became a difficult 

 man to follow. 



The first year I found the larvas — and the spot was not so 

 large as a tennis court — I only found a dozen or two, and for 

 some reason many of the moths came out cripples, deformed in 

 their hind wings, possibly the result of interbreeding on such a 

 small locality. I was tempted to find out their commercial value 

 by sending half a dozen to be sold at Stevens's auction rooms in 

 London, and they realised 30,<. a pair. 



The next year, notwithstanding the few dozen larvfe taken 

 and the limited number of balsam plants — and I was compelled 

 to take the tops of the plants to feed my larva3 on — the food-plant 

 increased in numbers, as did also the larvffi. But I met with a 

 series of misfortunes, for I placed nearly all my larvae in large 

 zinc cylinders, such as are used for dustbin rubbish, and put in 

 sifted fine ashes for them to pupate in, fed the larvae, kept them 

 out in the open ; but the larvne refused to go with the ashes, and 

 most of them died rather than do so. 



The foUowing year I still found larvae and food-plant increasing 

 in numbers in tlie one limited locality, and I placed sifted earth 

 in the zinc cylinders ; but unfortunately I omitted to make holes 

 in the bottom of the cylinders for drainage, kept them in the 

 open, and with a very rainy autumn nearl}' all the larvfe and 

 puiDfe were drowned in 3 in. of water after two days' rainfall. 

 In that year (1909) I was again tempted to send six specimens 

 to be sold at Stevens's, but, being in London at the time, I met 

 an entomologist who told me, on the dc\y before the sale, that a 

 " ring " had been formed by would-be purchasers to limit their 

 bids to half a crown for each specimen. I therefore proceeded 

 to the auction rooms, withdrew them from the sale, and took 

 them, together with six preserved larvae, to the South Kensington 

 Museum, and had great pleasure in presenting them to the 



