CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 47 



out horribly cold, aud one Anisopteryx a^scularia was the only insect seen. 

 On the 26th it was again beautifully warm and tine, and a walk to Chisle- 

 hurst in the aftertioon produced nine A. cescularia and one Hybernia 

 ■pro gemm aria. A crippled specimen of Amphidasys prodromaria was bi'ed. 

 Xylocampa lithorhiza and Cerastis vaccinii were the only insects noticed at 

 Bexley on the 29th. Smerinthun populi, Notodonta trepida, Halias 

 prasinana, Asphalia ridens, Amphidasys betularia, and Lomaspilis viaryi- 

 nata emerged during the month from pupae kept in a warm room. 



Common larvse swarmed in the hedges during May. Imagines were, 

 however, scarce till nearly the end of the month. On the 3rd I went down 

 to Orpington for about two hours, walking from there to Clielsfield railway 

 station. Tiny ''loops" were abundant, Uropteryx samhucaria, Abraxas 

 grossulariata, Cheimatobia brumata, Hybernia aurantiaria, and Physelia 

 oxyacanthcB being noticed. On the 7th we took another afternoon walk to 

 Chislehurst and Paul's Cray, obtaining Drepana falcataria and larvae of 

 Cerastis vaccinii, Orthosia lota, Xanthia cerayo, and Hypsipetes elutata. 

 Larvae of Arctia caia and Abraxas grossulariata were now abundant in the 

 garden. On the afternoon of the 24th my sister and I walked to Chisle- 

 hurst, taking Tephrosia punctulata and larvae of Orthosia lota. The 28th 

 I spent at Hayes, Keston, and West Wickhara. The weather looked very 

 unpromising when we started, but about 10.30 the sun came out, and it 

 became beautifully warm. Palings yielded Tephrosia crepuscularia {? biun- 

 dularia), T. punctulata, Anticlea derivata, and Hadena genista, one of the 

 latter having the hot sun full on it. Fidonia atomaria was very abundant, 

 especially on West Wickham Common. A very fine male of F. piniaria 

 was beaten from pine, aud Cilix spinula (glaucata) from hawthorn. Larvae 

 were abundant, and included the following: Oporabia dilutata, Himera 

 pennaria, Hemithea thymiaria, Rumia luteolata, Epunda viminalis, and 

 many others. We were rather surprised at taking one larva of Eupithecia 

 sobrinata on the only juniper seen, a very small bush. 



Our old collecting ground at Bexley was visited on June 4th. Euchlo'e 

 cardamines (male), Argynnis euphrosyne, LyccEua argiolus (worn), Pieris 

 brassiccB, P. rapce, and P. napi were seen ; and about 7 p.m., at a small 

 place which consists of a '' pub " and a few cottages, and rejoices in the 

 name of Puddle Dock, two specimens of Cynthia {Vanessa} cardui were 

 careering madly round a haystack, more wily than ever in their old age. 

 Turning to the moths, a specimen of Spilosoma niendica was beaten from 

 oak, and a few Ephyra punctaria and one E. porata from birch. Tephrosia 

 punctulata (oak-trunks), Melanippe montanata, and Cidaria corylata{one) 

 were noticed, whilst Venilia viaculata was flying freely in the sunshine. 

 Asthena candidata was very abundant on the borders of the wood at dusk. 

 Treacle only produced Gonoptera libutrix (three) and one Dipterygia 

 pinastri. A most enjoyable week-end at Shoreham (June 10th to 11th) 

 was our next expedition. A male Euchlo'e cardamines was seen immedi- 

 ately on leaving the station. The three Pierids, Ccenonymyha pamphilus, 

 Lycana icarus, Hesperia sylvanus, H. thaumas, and Syrichthus inalvcB were 

 all more or less plentiful. A few Thecla rubi and one Lycana alsus were 

 also seen. Among a host of commoner moths Bapta taminata was beaten 

 in some numbers, and was much more plentiful than B. temerata. Fidonia 

 2)iniaria, Thera variata, Larentia pectinitaria, &c., were also taken. On 

 the 11th a rather curious thing happened. Whilst my father was beating 

 a yew-tree, he saw something drop which he at first thought to be a pebble, 

 but on picking it up he found it was an egg of the gold-crest; the nest was 



