284 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
thorn (Crategus oxyacantha) at Merton, Surrey, England, in 
Julv, 1918, and July, 1914. 
Type in the author’s collection. 
This species is most easily recognised by its pale yellow 
tibiz, in which it resembles H. tibialis, Hood, from America. 
All the specimens | have were also noticeable for the fact that 
they stained the balsam in which they were mounted bright 
orange. This was probably colouring matter from the ali- 
mentary canal, and may give some clue to their food. No other 
species of the genus Haplothrips has been noticed to have any . 
similar effect. 
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
Notes oN LEPIDOPTERA TAKEN AT TONBRIDGE DURING 1916.— 
This, in my opinion, has been the most disastrous year I have 
experienced since I commenced collecting in 1908. 1 commenced 
sugaring in April; the results were very poor; night after night 
absolutely nothing came. I could only give up very little time to 
collecting larvze, so had to trust entirely to what I could pick up at 
sugar. Without any exaggeration, I do not think I even saw a dozen 
insects, all told, till the end of July. Then they began to come fairly 
freely, but nothing worth taking; in fact, I only took one specimen 
each of Plastenis swbtwsa and one of P. retusa till the middle of 
August. After this Catocala nwpta became very common, in fact at 
the end of the month I could have taken twenty a night. The 
‘‘Sallows ” then commenced to show up with Omphalocelis lunosa in 
numbers, but at the end of September all again stopped quite 
suddenly. About the middle of September I caught a nice O. lunosa 
with almost black hind wings, similar to a few others I had before 
taken. I also took a fine female Calocampa vetusta, the only one I 
have ever seen in this area. I found larve of Ochria ochracea quite 
common in thistle stems. Most had turned to pupe at the 
beginning of August. Golden-rod also produced numerous larve of 
Luwpithecia. This now brings me to a subject I have thought about 
a good deal for some years. Has it been noted that there seems to 
be a tendency in a great many moths to appear in periodical cycles, 
and then disappear again? I have kept careful notes, and find that 
in the year 1909 C. nwpta was very common ; a few, of course, show 
up every year, but they were not again common till this year. The 
“Sallows”” and Amathes circellaris were very common in 1909, and 
again this year, but few in years between. Orrhodia vaccinw and 
O. ligula did not show up till 1914 and 1915; they were then quite 
common. This year they are scarce. I always sugar the same trees, 
year by year, and all the surroundings are the same. In 1908 
Leucania comma was one of the commonest moths at the sugar 
patch, but has been conspicuously absent since that year. I have 
only mentioned the common species that have come under my notice 
in what I may call a prominent manner, in hope that some collector 
of large experience may give me his: views. Some butterflies we 
know, such as the Holly Blue, disappear from their usual haunts, and 
