96 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



spicuous by their absence ; while nightly visits to the sallows during the 

 last fortnight in March produced nothing but the commoner species of 

 Taniocampa. Of T. munda, so abundant in 1897, I saw not more than 

 two or three altogether. On April 2nd 1 found Amphidasys strataria on 

 oak trunks : and from ova deposited by one of the females I managed to 

 rear a large brood during the summer. The resemblance of the larvae 

 to the dark grey twigs of oak was very striking. A week later I was at 

 Capel Curig in Carnarvonshire, and found moths fairly common at the 

 sallows. Pachnobia rubricosa occurred most frequently of the spring moths, 

 along with an occasional Tceniocampa gracilis. Several hybernated species 

 also turned up, including Triphosia dubitata, and odd specimens of 

 Agrotis suffusa, Oporina croceago, Calocampa vetusta, C. exoleta, Xylina 

 socia, and Cidaria miata. One specimen of Asphalia flavicornis was 

 attracted by light. On April 21st I observed, near Portmadoc, specimens 

 of Euchlo'e cardamines and Pieris napi, together with many hybernated 

 Vanessa io. On the following day I boxed a lovely specimen of Asphalia 

 ridens on the side of the road between Barmouth and Machynkelh. The 

 first three weeks of May were cold and wet, and insects in the neighbour- 

 hood of Newtown were very scarce. In fact, Rhopalocera have been very 

 scarce here all the season, with the exception of Pieris brassicce and P. rapce, 

 which were most abundant during the autumn. Vanessa c album I saw 

 once, on May 7th. Common Geometrae began to turn up on May 25th, 

 when I also to^k Cymatouhora duplaris and Pterostoma palpina. Macro- 

 glossa bombyliformis was very scarce ; I took four specimens on June 3rd 

 and 5th, all at flowers of Pedicularis sylvatica. Noctuae began to turn up 

 at light on June 7th ; and during the rest of the mouth Leucania comma, 

 Grammesia trigrammica, and Hadena dentina occurred in some numbers. 

 Sugar was a complete failure during June and July. Two visits during 

 the same mouths to Dinas Mawddwy, a charmiug village among the moun- 

 tains in the south of Merionethshire, produced little of note. In 1897 the 

 pine woods there swarmed with Geometrae, such as Bupalus piniaria, 

 Macaria liturata, and Thera ftrmata ; but this year they produced nothing 

 beside Larentia viridata, Melanippe montanata, and Hepialus hectus. On 

 the moorlaud above the village 1 came across Plusia festucce and Pseudo- 

 terpna pruinata. Melanippe tristata was common during the first week in 

 July in the locality where 1 discovered it last year, as was also Melitcea 

 artemis a fortnight earlier. During July light was more productive, among 

 the better moths that turned up being Plusia iota, P. pulchrina, Neuria 

 reticulata, Cidaria prunata, C. dotata, and C. associata. During August f 

 was in the South of Englaud ; but on my return here in September I tried 

 sugar again. I began on September 13th, and sugared almost every night 

 until October 24th. The trees I sugared were some half-dozen apple trees 

 in my own garden, and a number of oak trees in a small copse on a hill at 

 the back of my house. On the first few nights Amphipyra pyramidea was 

 common, but worn. Anchocelis pistacina was the most abundant moth, and 

 occurred in every conceivable variety. A. rufina and A. litura were also 

 quite common ; but of A. lunosa I got but two. The best moths I took 

 were Xanthia aurago and X. gilvago. Of the former I secured about twenty 

 specimens, all, except one, in the copse above mentioned ; while of the latter 

 I got eight or nine examples, which came singly on separate evenings, and 

 all but one in the garden. Two or three specimens each of Agrotis saucia 

 and A. sujfusa also turned up, with a few Hydrcecia micacea and Agriopis 



