112 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



out many years longer; it has got very scarce at Lulworth Cove already.—' 

 J. Hy. Fowler; Ringwood, Dec. 8th, 1896. 



Notes from South Devon. 



Though I have not found the past season a profitable one about here, 

 yet a few notes may, I hope, be of interest. I returned to Devonshire in 

 the latter part of March, and found insects swarming at the sallows. 

 Perhaps the best nights were March 33rd, 24th, and 95th. On the Q3rd 

 Tceniocampa crucla, T. stabilis, T. gothica., T. miniosa, T. gracilis, T. munda, 

 Xylina petrificata, Ccrastis vaccinii, together with one Agrotis segetiim, male, 

 in fair condition (I was not aware that this species hybernated, though 

 A. suffasa seems to do so, as I have taken it at the flowers of Daphne 

 mezereon). On the 24th, a warm and thundery night with intermittent 

 moonlight, moths fell from the sallows in countless numbers, a score or 

 more being in the umbrella at the same time, the only good insect, however, 

 being Oporina croceago (two). On the 25th I took an odd couple, viz. 

 H. progemmaria male and T. cruda female. I failed, however, to obtain 

 ova. On the 31st sloe-blossom proved almost as attractive as the sallows, 

 which were getting over. Several Eupitheciae were about, chiefly, I think, 

 forms of E. ahbreviata. 



April 5th seems rather early for Lyccena arglolus, of which two females 

 were seen (but no males till the 19th). Having to leave home on the 24th, 

 I determined to make an eff'ort to obtain larvae of Petasia cassinea. 

 Accordingly, my father and I went out on the 22nd with beating umbrella, 

 hut found the oak-coppice, which covers several hundred acres about a mile 

 from my home, still brown and bare. So we tried our luck in searching 

 young birches for larvai oi Asphalia flavicoriiis, with little success, however; 

 but the first bush we searched (only about six feet high) yielded four larvae 

 of Geomelra papUionaria, already, like the birches, in their green attire. 

 On the low branches of another small birch I came across five young larvae 

 of Trichiara cratcegi. On a little twig of the same I found four ova 

 (hatched), which I suppose were of this species; they were bolster-shaped, 

 and laid side by side transversely on the twig. Gonepteryx rhamni was 

 flying freely, both mile and femile. We noticed one of the latter laying. 

 The ova are placed singly on end on Rkamnus frangula [R. catharticus 

 does not occur here). Pieris rapes, P. napi, Vanessa to, Lyccena argiolus, 

 Anthocharis cardamines, and Pararge egeria were also observed on the wing. 



Turning our steps homewards, we found some young oak just in leaf. 

 Now for the umbrella! In a short time we had beaten five small green 

 larvae, which I felt pretty sure were P. cassinea. I have often taken this 

 larva before, but have found it very difficult to rear to the perfect state. 

 Reaching home, I placed them in a nearly empty flower-pot with some twigs 

 of oak, and, fearing that they would escape through the meshes if I covered 

 the pot with net, I used paper instead. One of the larvae promptly made 

 its escape through a hole in the paper, which I believe it made for itself. 

 The remaining four my father reared, and gave them a large pot of turf in 

 which to pupate. This pot I turned out about the early part of July, and 

 found four large pupae at a depth of about three or four inches. I did this 

 that I might watch the pupae, and keep off insect pests. I replaced them 

 at a slight depth, covering them with grass-roots, &c. One died about the 

 middle of October ; two moths emerged during November, male and female, 

 but, alas! both cripples. They were kept in a pot with some flowers of 



