OBSERVATIONS. 



109 



turning by a lane in which I had 

 observed the Honey Dew on a hedge 

 under a Sycamore tree, I passed the 

 light upon the hedge and here the 

 moths kept up their revels. The 

 genus Agrotis seemed to have as- 

 sembled by special appointment to 

 meet a few friends and strangers, 

 for almost all orders were represen- 

 ted, the Stegoptera being rather 

 strongly so ; and it was evident by 

 the way that some Hemiptera were 

 enjoying themselves that they liked 

 sweets quite as well as some of their 

 relations like blood. 



Next morning early I was in the 

 woods; (EcopJwra grandis rewarded 

 me by gently passing into my net 

 and thence to my satchel ; the sun 

 getting overcast, rain and wind fol- 

 lowed ; and now to work for Tro- 

 chilium scoUaformis in pupa ; pursuing 

 this pleasure until I was tired, I 

 packed the results carefully away in 

 moss, and took to other game. The 

 sun regained the ascendency, and 

 out came the beautiful Longhorn 

 Adela Degeerella, and the more 

 beautiful Harpella Geoffrella which 

 though abundant in the South, 

 rarely glads the eyes of a Northern 

 Entomologist. The best insect taken 

 by beating was GEcophora subaquilea, 

 and thus the day passed, now a 

 moth, then a larva, pupa, or beetle, 

 but always something, until a kind 

 of gnawing at the stomach reminded 

 me that if I would sugar at night, I 



must eat soon, and so I turned 

 towards Llangollen for food and my 

 sugar. The night proved very un- 

 favourable, but common moths were 

 more abundant on sugar then the 

 night before; the rain having washed 

 the Honey Dew away. The species 

 seen, however, were identical with 

 those seen on the previous night, 

 minus A. cinerea ; in fact it was 

 impossible to keep a lanthorn lighted 

 and hold an umbrella on the ledges 

 where I took it on such a rough 

 night. 



The results of the journey being 

 on the whole better than my expec- 

 tations, I left for home next morn- 

 ing, without regret, especially as 

 there ^vas a heavy storm brewing 

 over the Merionethshire mountains 

 to the south-west. — C. S. Gregson, 

 June 14th, 1864. 



Diving Water Spiders ( At gyro- 

 neta aquatica, Walckenaer.) — Three 

 years ago I collected Water Spiders 

 from a place called Frost Dam, be- 

 tween Methley and Normanton, and 

 put them into a glass jar with some 

 Anacharis, and kept them till the 

 following spring, but they dwindled 

 away and died in April, I think 

 owing to my not changing the water 

 oftener. I collected others at the 

 same place on the 15th of October, 

 1863, and have kept them up to 

 the present time. These I have 

 observed spinning silken cells or 



