NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 237 



went out without seeing Satyrus Megcera flying in every lane and 

 field ; Cocnonympha Pamphilus and Lyccena Icarius were also quite 

 common. A large bed of nettles close to the sea was quite black 

 with thousands of Vanessa urticce larvae ; I brought home a great 

 many of these, hoping to get varieties, but they all appeared, in 

 due course, of the normal type. I also took one specimen of 

 Venilia maculata, a few of Melanij^jje montanata, and three good 

 specimens of Nola cristulalis. Pieris rapce, P. napi, Acidalia 

 imitaria, Hepialus lupuUnus, and larvae of Bomhyx quercus, 

 B. neustria, Odonestris potatoria, also fell to my share in the Isle 

 of Wight. In and near London I have found many larvae of 

 Chelonia caja, and every evening we have half a dozen or more 

 Boarmia rhomboidaria moths flying round the drawing-room 

 ceiling or into the gas, accompanied not unfrequently with speci- 

 mens of Ourapteryx samhucata, several species of Eupithecice, and, 

 on August 8th, Cosmia traptezina, though there are no oaks that 

 I know of in the vicinity. Along the railway lines and fields 

 at Willesden and Acton, Cautptogramma hilineata and Eubolia 

 mensuraria can be taken in large numbers ; at one part C. bilineata 

 was quite a nuisance, three or four rising out of the long grass at 

 every step. I heard that Hesperia sylvanus had also been very 

 common at East Acton along the railway bank. — Chas. E. M. 

 Ince; 29, St. Stephen's Avenue, Shepherd's Bush, July 11, 1882. 



Notes from the Isle of Man. — Seeing in the ' Entomolo- 

 gist' many complaints of the scarcity of insects during this 

 season, I wish to ofi'er a few observations on collecting in the Isle 

 of Man. I have been accustomed to pay annual visits to the 

 island, twice visiting it this season, but never saw insects in 

 general more scarce. I went on June 2nd, intending to take the 

 larvae of Sesia philanthiformis and Polia nigrocincta ; not a single 

 specimen was to be seen of the former, and the latter was exceed- 

 ingly rare, as I only took three, from which I reared one specimen, 

 and of this the hind wings were crippled. On searching for Polia 

 nigrocincta larva on the flowers of the sea-pink, Statice armeria, 

 I was surprised to find, feeding on these flowers, Triphcena 

 orbona, as well as Epunda nigra. I had taken T. orbona in tlie 

 island before, feeding on foxglove. DiantJicecia capsophila and 

 D. ccesia were on the wing, but not so numerous as I have seen 

 them ; and Eupithecia venosata, which I have also seen common, 

 was very rare. I again went to the island on June 30th, and 



