NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 189 



at least, 1 have got on no better with than without tliem. In tlie 

 autumn of 1898 I was sugaring one night with common treacle 

 thinned with methylated spirits — nothing else. It was cold and 

 so windy I could hardly keep my lamp alight; nevertheless, I 

 boxed five TIeliothis annigera in about as many minutes. In turning 

 up my diary for 1900 — tlie most remarkable year for sugaring I have 

 ever known — I see that September 17th is specially mentioned as 

 being the best night I ever experienced in my life. I well remember 

 it for several reasons, principally, I suppose, because of the night's 

 " bag," but also because it was a very beautiful evening — still and 

 very warm, with a gorgeous sunset. I had not intended going out, 

 but the weather conditions seemed so favourable that I could not 

 resist the attraction of the cliffs ; so, hastily procuring a pot of 

 ordinary treacle and a modicum of rum, oft' I set for a two-mile 

 walk to the scene of action. That night, insects positively sv^'armed, 

 and I had the satisfaction of taking besides other good species, 

 several Leucania albipuncta, L. vitelUna, Laphygma exigua, and 

 H. annigera. I had never previously taken these four insects 

 together on one night. As to what constitute favourable conditions, 

 who can say ? Like other collectors, probably, I have found some 

 nights, apparently the most likely, to be quite unproductive. And, 

 again, I have had great sport with quite a keen north-west wind 

 blowing, together with heavy showers. Speaking generally, however, 

 windy nights are unsatisfactory. But sometimes throughout certain 

 years sugar seems specially attractive, whatever the weather ; 1900 

 and 1906, for instance, were remarkable in this respect. The former 

 year, as mentioned above, was a record one. Yet September, 1906, 

 was extraordinary in some ways. Most collectors would be glad 

 of an evening which produced between forty and fifty L. exigua. 

 I had the good fortune to get them, and a friend w'orking near 

 by took thirty-two the same night. As regards a vehicle to carry 

 the sugar I always used what was most convenient. I have sugared 

 positively miles of flower heads for Leucania putrescens and other 

 coast insects; but besides being a very messy and back- aching 

 operation, it is quite unnecessary if there are any posts or palings 

 upon which you can put the sweets. I got more putrescens (all 

 I wanted, in fact) by sugaring the latter than from sugared flowers. 

 And here I come to what I think an imporcant point about this 

 method of collecting, viz. the cumulative effect of continually 

 sugaring in one district or one run of posts or trees. The greatest 

 successes I have known in this way — the rarest insects and the 

 greatest number of them, too — have occuxTed to a man I know 

 who continually sugars the same run every suitable night, from 

 spring to autumn. It is not a particularly long stretch, nor 

 particularly selected for its position ; but it happens to be the 

 nearest to the town where he lives, and he has consequently made 

 it his own, so to speak. I have worked the same piece of coast 

 further on, where conditions might reasonably be supposed to be 

 even better than those nearer the town ; but he has taken insects 

 that I liave never seen at my sugar, and I attribute his success 

 to the fact that his run is so often sugared that it has become 

 peculiarly attractive. "Go farther and fare worse" is a motto well 



