CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 171 



being in wonderfully good condition. F. tirticcB, a few. Of the spring 

 butterflies, Pararge egeria was the commonest, but though so freshly 

 emerged, a good number had the wings torn. Pieris rapcc occurred 

 sparingly, as did Cijanirls [LyccBna) argiolus, and Mr. Lucas took 

 SgrichtJiHS malvcB. 



By far the most interesting moth was Boarmia cinctaria, and the 

 nice series obtained made up for any disappointment in other respects. 

 It was certainly no easy work to get B. cinctaria, but three visits to 

 Holmsley rewarded us with about three dozen specimens. Why this 

 moth refuses to rest on the trees when they grow closely together is 

 incomprehensible to me, but this certainly seems to be the case, for 

 most of the examples taken were on the medium-sized stunted Scotch 

 firs in the most boggy parts of the heath. On one occasion four moths 

 were found on one tree, and this after more than an hour's searching 

 without finding one. The darker-coloured moths seem to be the best 

 protected, the light ones being frequently discernible at a considerable 

 distance. About three-fourths of the moths taken were males. Some 

 of the females were kept in chip-boxes, and deposited their eggs 

 beneath the rough wood of the box, or between the rim of the lid and 

 the outside of the box. In a natural state one would suppose that the 

 ova are deposited in the crevices of the bark of the fir-trunks. Has it 

 been observed whether they are deposited thus or on the food-plant ? 

 Besides the Holmsley specimens, two males were taken not far from 

 Denny Lodge, one from a birch trunk. 



Two examples of a Tephrosia, which I suppose would be T. ere- 

 piiscularia, were taken from fir trunks. Ematurga atomaria and Bupalus 

 piyiiaria were just coming out, and Bapta taminata (bimaculata) and 

 Panagra petraria were taken singly, whilst a few fine examples oiAnticlea 

 nigrofasciaria were also obtained. Five species of Eupithecia were 

 noted. Two nice specimens of the pretty and local E. irriguata were 

 the best. E. abbreviata was common almost everywhere. Ej. pumilata 

 was also fairly common, whilst E. coronata and E. nanata were each 

 singly represented, the former being taken in the ' Rose and Crown ' 

 'bus. Xglina socia was taken from a post. Xglocampa lithoriza was in 

 fair numbers, but poor condition. 



Turning to the larvse, my father worked pretty hard with the 

 beating- stick, and met with a fair amount of success, the following 

 being obtained : — Gnophria quadra (two, very small), Nola strigula 

 (one), N. cueuUatella, Halias bicolorana (two), Bombyx quercm (one), 

 Porthesia similis, Miselia oxyacantlm (the commonest larva), Catocala 

 sponsa (one), Triphmna fimbria [I ), Metrocanipa margaritaria, Ellopia 

 fasciaria (prosapiaria), fhera variata, T. firmata{.^), Oporabia diliitata, 

 Rumia cratcegata, Scodiona helgiaria [?), Cleora lichenaria (about two 

 dozen, some nearly full-grown). On the last morning a long search 

 for the larva of Limenitis sibglla was well rewarded, as we took twenty- 

 nine between us. The small brown larva was discovered on the 

 brown stick of the honeysuckle just below the green shoot, generally 

 rather low down in the bush in sheltered positions. Mr. Lucas found 

 two on the green leaves, where they are fairly conspicuous, but on the 

 brown stick they were splendidly protected. 



It was rather early for dragonflies, but three female Pyrrhosoma 

 nymphula were observed, and also a quite freshly emerged Libellula 



