LEPIDOPTERA AT RANNOCH IN 1905. 39 



Anarta melanopa, chiefly males, began to appear on May 

 18tb, the bearberry, however, which furnishes food for both larva 

 and imago, did not come into flower at this elevation till May 

 28th, and was then eagerly visited by both sexes. Bearberry 

 {Arctostapliylos ura-ursi) in the Rannoch district grows at two 

 levels, luxuriantly at 800 to 900 feet, and, separated by a zone 

 where it is absent, again at 2000 feet as a stunted closely- 

 growing plant. At the lower level F. carhonaria and A. cordi- 

 gera occur and, at the upper, A. melanopa. They rarely encroach 

 on one another's ground. I should have said never, but we did 

 take a couple of A. cordigera on the melanopa ground. 



During the whole of May we found odd specimens of Hadena 

 glaiica on the rocks, and one occasion saw one flying in the sun- 

 shine. On June 1st, however, we were astonished to see a good 

 many eagerly feeding at the bearberry with A. melanopa, in the 

 hot midday sun. 



In spite of careful searching, we never saw melanopa settled 

 on a rock, though these matched its colour perfectly. On the 

 crisp grey lichen, which carpets the whole summit of the moun- 

 tain, I found two at rest, and from it many more were disturbed. 



We saw one of these active little moths captured by a small 

 brown crab-spider {TJiomisus ? cristatus). As I was standing, 

 net in hand, waiting for the moths to visit the flowers, one came 

 and, before I could move, the spider sprung and seized it just 

 behind the head, and, though many times smaller than its prey, 

 held it until it was dead. It did not even let go when I placed 

 both on my hand. We also noticed a good many large grey 

 hunting-spiders running over the lichen, probably in search of a 

 similar meal. 



Lower down the hills we came across a few Acronycta myricce 

 on the rocks. From the number of freshly emptied pupa-cases, 

 and the few moths found, I think they must choose other 

 resting-places. Probably they sit on the bare peat, as we found 

 A. menyanthidis and Scodiona helgiaria later. Glauca and 

 menyanthidis were also noticed three or four times, high up the 

 trunks of birches and aspens. Two or three Arctia fuliginosa 

 var. borealis were seen flying, and looked very bright as the sun 

 struck their ruby wings. 



On the 25th of May we deserted the open moor and beat the 

 branches of the alders which grow along some of the mountain 

 burns. Hypsipetes impluviata was beginning to emerge, and a week 

 later there were hundreds. They were wonderfully varied, from 

 the pale English form to almost black specimens, and one asym- 

 metrical dark form was obtained. Amongst these trees we also 

 took one Cidaria miata, several Coremia ferrugata, and two 

 Selenia illunaria. Cidaria suffumata was widely distributed, 

 though not common, and rather past its best. Amongst the 

 eighteen we took were one or two typical specimens, several 



