A month's collecting at rannoch. 265 



Cedestis farinatella, C. gijsselinella, and Teleia dodecella were 

 common, and again Lithocolletis vacciniella appeared. 



The Black Wood is bounded to the east by the Dall Burn, 

 whose sheltered banks provided one of the most charming and 

 prolific localities. Here Sericorls daleana, S. urticana, S. lacunana, 

 Mixodia palustrana, and Coccyx ustomaculana flew in almost 

 baffling numbers, shining like jewels in the last rays of the 

 setting sun as they rested on the heather, rejoicing in the pro- 

 tection of the banks from the strong wind which so constantly 

 prevails in this high and storm-swept district. With them were 

 a few belated Enchromia mygindana and an occasional Incur- 

 varia cehlmnnn'iella, whilst from the firs could still be beaten 

 Pfedisca rubiginosana, Stigmonota coniferana, and S. cognatana. 

 Lower down, the spruces of Dall Lodge gave swarms of Coccyx 

 Uedella and C. nanana, with one battered specimen of Eupithecia 

 togata, the larva of which could doubtless later be collected in 

 the cones. Emmelesia hlandiata was also not uncommon. 



The foothills at the back of Carie was tlie only other spot 

 visited further east, and that on a day when neither the weather 

 nor myself were up to the mark. Mr. F. C. Woodbridge had 

 five years before taken me to this promising locality, which even 

 under the above adverse conditions yielded Plusia interrogationis, 

 Dasydia obfiiscata, Emmelesia ericetata, Crambus ericellus, and 

 other useful things. 



Eeturning now to our starting point and passing up the 

 road towards the Bridge of Gaur, we come immediately to the 

 Camghouvan Barn. Here a road leads straight up into the 

 mountains, and opens out a splendid series of collecting grounds. 

 I was very anxious to obtain larvae of Peronea maccana, which 

 are said by some authorities to feed on Vaccinium vitis idcea and 

 by others on Myrica gale. The Vaccinium in the Black Wood 

 was almost destroyed by the work of larvffi, but the larvffi had 

 practically disappeared, and I only collected some half dozen. 

 To these I added a good number from Myrica collected a short 

 way up the Camghouran Burn road. They were collected quite 

 at haphazard, since the larva of P. maccana appears to be 

 undescribed. My shot in the dark, however, was most sur- 

 prisingly rewarded, as, since my return, I have bred nearly a 

 score of P. macca)in and five or six P. rufana. Unfortunately, 

 having very little expectation of success, I made no description 

 of the larva, and can only add one fact, viz. that it feeds on 

 both Vaccinium and Myrica. 



Passing a short way up the road we came to the nest of 

 Formica rufa var. alpina, which gave us so many Myrmecozela 

 ochraceella, particulars of which I have given in the October 

 number of the ' Entomologist.' Soon the road opens out into 

 some grassy meadows. Here was a fine colony of Cranibns 

 dumetellas, which often helped to swell the day's captures. 



