COLLECTING IN THE ISLE OF LEWIS. 37 



S. malva;. — Leukerbad. 

 S. sao. — Le Sepey. 



Xisoniades tages. — One worn specimen at Visp. 

 Hesperia thaumas. — Swarmed about damp ground at the sides of 

 roads and paths. 



H. liiieola. — More abundant than the preceding. 

 H. sylvanus. — Also rather common. 



20, Duudonakl Street, Edmburgh. 



COLLECTING IN THE ISLE OF LEWIS. 

 By H. Stuart Fremlin, F.E.S. 



I HAD some three weeks' collecting last summer in the Isle of 

 Lewis, being there from the middle of June to the end of the 

 first week in July. Insects were fairly numerous, but the species 

 were limited in number. The weather was fine generally, 

 exceedingly fine even, for the district, although usually overcast 

 until about 1 p.m. The chief part of my collecting was confined 

 to the neighbourhood of Stornoway, although I searched a little 

 in other parts of the island. 



To those of my readers who do not know the Lewis, a short 

 description may be of interest. The island consists almost 

 entirely of moorland, mountains, and small lakes ; the soil is 

 peaty, and very little cultivation is carried on. The only trees 

 on the island grow on the Matheson estate at Stornoway, where 

 they have been planted. (This wooded part formed my chief col- 

 lecting centre.) Stornoway itself is the chief town, and lies on 

 the coast ; it is mainly interested in herring fisheries, and in the 

 month of June it is extremely difiicult to obtain lodgings, on 

 account of influx of people interested in the fishing trade. 



I commenced collecting very soon after my arrival. The 

 first species that I took was Hypsipetes impluviata, and this 

 occurred commonly in the neighbourhood of trees ; I found some 

 at rest on the tree-trunks during the day, and netted others in 

 the evening. 



Melanippe montanata soon made its appearance, and was very 

 generally distributed ; I continued to take freshly emerged speci- 

 mens during the remainder of my stay. I took a few Odontopera 

 bidentata, which were attracted by my lamp. Larentia pectini- 

 taria made its appearance about the end of June ; it was very 

 common in certain spots ; on one evening I saw practically no 

 other species ; they appeared to be the only moths about in that 

 particular place, and could be seen crawling up grass-stems anil 

 flying about everywhere. 



Hepialus velleda was common everywhere, but difficult to 

 catch. H. hectus occurred in one or two glades, but I did not 



