142 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



before the flight of the males. This species is readily attracted by 

 sugar placed on the trunks of pine trees in its haunts, or on the 

 herbage ; it also frequents heather bloom, and the blossoms of ragwort 

 and thistles, by day as well as by night, and is strongly attracted by 

 light. In the fens, where it is rare, this last is the only method by 

 which I have known it to be obtained." 



Then, in connection with Miana captiuncula, Mr. Barrett (p. 25) 

 gives the following information, supplied to him by a correspondent : — 

 " It is a day-flier ; but no one has, as yet, proved that it is not also a 

 night-flier ; we used to think that it did not fly after mid-day, but now 

 know better. It begins to fly about noon, and rarely continues much 

 later than 4 o'clock p.m., but its habit of flight is most erratic. You 

 may go to the bank where you know that it occurs, upon an apparently 

 faultless day, and wait for an hour without seeing a single specimen, 

 and then suddenly see them dashing about in all directions. It is no 

 easy matter to catch them, as they fly quickly and are difficult to 

 follow, and are sure to disappear as suddenly as they came. Then the 

 best plan is to look upon the grass stems, where a few may be picked 

 up. After a short time they will suddenly appear again for a short 

 flight. If you are so fortunate as to get near where a newly-emerged 

 female is sitting, you may stand still and catch them as they come, 

 with unerring instinct, from all directions." 



On p. 266 we have a resume of the known British history of 

 Hydrilla palustris, which, having regard to the occurrence of the 

 species in Wicken Fen last year in fair numbers, it may be interesting 

 to give it in its entirety : — " The first specimen known to have been 

 obtained in this country was captured in a moist place at Stockton- 

 in-the-Forest, about four miles from York, by a young man in the 

 employment of Mr. T. H. Allis. He seems to have met with other 

 examples, but, not knowing the species, had retained this one specimen 

 only, unset, until Mr. Allis's return from a journey, when it was placed 

 in his collection, and doubtless is still in existence in the York Museum. 

 Although Mr. Allis most emphatically affirmed, and indeed proved, 

 the capture of the specimen, he seems never to have recorded the year 

 in which it took place ; but this was certainly before 1855. So far as 

 can be ascertained, the next specimen taken was recorded by Mr. H. 

 Jenner-Fust, who says that it was obtained in Quy Fen, Cambs, in 

 May, 1862, by Mr. Schofield ; and that it was disturbed from among 

 some half-dried grass which had been cut a day or two, and when dis- 

 turbed, which was in the daytime, flew pretty quickly. Another speci- 

 men, which may possibly have been antecedent to this, or even to the 

 Yorkshire specimen, was taken by the late Richard Weaver, but where 

 is not known. It had remained unset in the collection of the Rev. 

 Henry Burney for many years before it was recognised as a female of 

 the present species. In June, 1869, I had the peculiar pleasure of 

 capturing a male specimen just outside the city of Norwich. It was 

 fluttering about a gas-lamp in a suburban road towards midnight, 

 having doubtless being attracted by the light from some moist 

 meadows. In June, 1877 and 1878, Messrs. F. D. Wheeler, W. H. 

 B. Fletcher, and others, took, in all, between a dozen and twenty 

 specimens in Wicken Fen, by the aid of a strong collecting lamp. 

 They found that a lamp placed upon the ground was the most useful 



