CAPTURKS AND FIELD REPORTS. 67 



end of May. About the end of June I beat out a number of the hand- 

 some larvtD, hoping to obtain a supply of the grey form of the imago. 

 Both hirv?e and imagos have the curious propensity of jumping when 

 beaten out into the umbrella or beating-tray. Larvae of Thera Jlrmata 

 were to be had also in the forest, even in the early days of July — 

 green, with red-brown (rust-coloured) heads ; rust-colour on the sides 

 of tlie first three segments ; legs reddish green ; segment divisions 

 dorsally reddish, but becoming less distinctly so towards the anal 

 segment. The moths appeared in August, and I took a freshly-emerged 

 specimen at rest on an oak-trunk, August 10th. A good Macaria 

 liturata var. niijiofulvata (Collins) was seen on July 31st, although the 

 first bred specimen of the season dated back to June 2nd. Larvte of 

 Ellopia prosaphtria = fasclaria, also pine feeders, were common until 

 the middle of May. The following notes on the Delamere type-form 

 of the larva, together with varieties, may be of interest. In each case 

 the observations are made on the final stage : — 



Type : Head and body reddish, whitish underneath. Segments 

 tipped with darker reddish tubercles. Two dorsal white lines wide 

 apart. Legs and claspers reddish. 



Variety 1 : As in the type, but white dorsal lines absent. 



Variety 2 : Head, body, legs, and claspers grey. Tubercles darker. 

 Body speckled minutely with white, especially on sides. No dorsal 

 white lines. 



Variety 3 : Head, body, legs, and claspers totally black. Body 

 smoke-coloured underneath. 



The perfect insect varies in depth of coloration, but not to such 

 an extent as the caterpillar. There is an unusual form conspicuously 

 red. 



On June 24th Mr. J. Thompson, of Chester, beat two larvfe (late 

 ones) of Chesias spartiata (green with a yellow line along each side) 

 from broom at iJelamere. I found the moths well on the wing, 

 September 30th, wherever the food-plant grew; they were plentiful. 

 lu August and September I got a fair number of caterpillars of Noto- 

 donta dictauides from the forest birch, as well as Dasychira pudibunda ; 

 while from Scotch fir I secured three of the yellow form of Bupalus 

 piniaria. One of the B. pudibunda caterpillars appeared one morning, 

 after changnig its skin, with all its hairs rose-pink. The moth some- 

 times appears with a broad dark smoke-coloured band across the upper 

 wings — an infrequent Delamere form. 



On August 28th Cloantha solidof/inis, fine and fresh from the 

 chrysalis, were found plentifully resting on the heather near Ehos, 

 North Wales, by Mr. Thompson. This, I believe, is a new record. I 

 have never taken tlie larva of Acromjcta tridens, nor do I think I have 

 ever taken the perfect insect. A. psi (with dark forms) is common 

 enough in the Chester district in all its stages, and I am consequently 

 well acquainted with the caterpillar. In fact, as I had never seen the 

 larva of A. tridens, I was glad to receive, in August. 1904, as well as 

 in 1905, several of these interesting caterpillars from Mr. Harwood, of 

 Colchester. The following comparative notes on the full-grown larvae 

 of the two species may be of interest to young entomologists. The 

 chief points of interest are italicised: — A. psi: Broad dorsal yelluiv 



