THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



No. .60] DECEMBER, MDCCCLXVIII. [Price 6d. 



Captures of Lepidoptera in Moraysldre. 

 By George Nokman. 



It will be seen from the following list of captures that ray 

 attention has been exclusively directed to the Noctute. A 

 few other insects certainly were noted, but mostly common 

 species ; for instance, Chelonia Plantaginis and Arctia fuli- 

 ginosa were both common enough, while in the Altyre Woods 

 Endromis versicolor was seen in great abundance ; I suc- 

 ceeded, however, in capturing only four specimens, one male 

 and three females, the latter sitting quietly on the bare birch 

 twigs in April. The males were far too lively for me, 

 although I have known the day when I could have run them 

 down. Some eggs were procured, but, owing to my want of 

 knowledge in rearing the young larvae, only one lived into 

 the pupa state. Erebia Medea, Hipparchia Semele, Chorto- 

 bius Davus, Pyrameis Cardui, P. Atalanta, Argynnis Selene, 

 A, Euphrosyne, and Thecla Rubi, were all abundant in 

 suitable localities ; and Vanessa lo was, 1 believe, seen on one 

 occasion in Altyre Forest. Smerinthns Populi abounded in 

 the larva state, those found on Populus alba wonderfully 

 matching the colour of its food-plant, being of a pale 

 glaucous-white hue, sometimes blotched with red. Sphinx 

 Convolvuli was, I believe, frequent throughout the county ; 1 

 had three specimens sent me, which had been captured hover- 

 ing over Petunias. Macroglossa Stellatarum was observed on 

 several occasions in similar localities. Amphydasis betularia 

 and Odontopera bidentata were both very abundant. All the 

 British species of Hepialus were taken, eight specimens of 

 H. velleda occurring at rest in the crevices of birch trees in 

 Altyre Woods. Cossus ligniperda larvae were abundant all 

 over the country, doing great mischief to the birch and 

 oak trees. I do not recollect whether a Cossus-infested 

 birch has been before noticed as an excellent trap for 

 Noctuaj : one small tree on my hunting-ground was nightly 



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