THE season's entomology IN SOUTH HAMPSHIRE. 269 



An addition to the list of local Sesiidfe was made this season 

 by the discovery of three pupae of Sesia andreniformis in the 

 stems of dog-wood (not, as I expected, in those of the Wayfaring 

 tree) ; the three pupte duly produced two imagines and one 

 ichneumon. May 25th and 26tli gave larvfe of Boarmia abietaria, 

 Lithosia deplana, Geometra vernaria, Zephyrns quercus, Scotosia 

 rhamnata, and Laspeyria flexida. The L. deplana larvse, reared 

 on yew lichens, gave some very nice forms, some almost melanic. 

 Repeated and careful observations have led me to believe that 

 the larvae of this insect do not feed on any of the larger lichens 

 of the yew, but on the minute conferva covering the smaller 

 branches, thus necessitating a constant renewal of food, which 

 must be kept at no greater dampness than that which would 

 be produced by an evening's dew. On the evenings of the 

 25th and 26th I made the only two local attempts at sugaring. 

 I had hoped to take Agrotis cinerea, but the only insects that 

 turned up were one Craniophora ligitstri and a few Mamestra 

 dentina. The nights were too gloriously bright for successful 

 entomology. On the 27th laivse of Limenitis sibylla and on 

 June 2nd those of Zephyrns betides were taken full fed, and some 

 nice confluent forms of Zygcena trifolii captured. 



The first week in June gave ova and small larvae of Hemaris 

 faciformis on honeysuckle growing among stunted juniper on 

 the otherwise bare downs. Larvae of Cucidlia verbasci were 

 plentiful at the same time and place, and Chceiocampa porcellus 

 was flying in the evening over the flowers of campion, along 

 with Dianthoecia carpopiiaga, D. capsincola, D. cucHbali,H. sordida, 

 M. dentina, N. reticulata, and Etipithecia venosata. 



On June 14th two imagines of Cochlidion limacodes were 

 beaten out with larvae of N. trepida, Drymonia chaonia, and 

 Poecilocampa populi. 



It may be mentioned here that, locally, spring larvae 

 swarmed this season, and were followed by countless hosts of 

 the larvae of T. viridana. The latter soon reduced acres of 

 woodland to the bareness of winter, thus partly accounting for the 

 scarcity of later larvae, which, on hatching", died for lack of food. 



On June 22nd Argynnis cydippe began to appear, and imagines 

 of B. 1-oboraria were to be seen high up on the trunks of the 

 oaks, often fully exposed to tbe brilliant sunshine. On the 

 birches larvae of B. })arthcnias could be beaten out — literally 

 dozens at a stroke. 



From among some hundreds of A . cydippe one heavily spotted 



and two very pale forms were taken. The capture of the season, 



however, was a magnificant, very dark blotched ? of D. paphia, 



* with the silver marking of the under wings concentrated into 



a broad line. 



A part of August was spent in the New Forest, and save 

 for the extraordinary abundance of D. paphia, with its variety 



