NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS, 156 



D. HERACi-EANA, De Geev. — Common everywhere. 

 Gelechia ericetella, lib. — Howth ; Belfast, abundant (W.) ; 

 Clonbrock, Galway {E. E. D.) ; Sligo ^R.). 



G. MULiNELLA, Zell. — Howth, abundant ; Sligo {R.) ; Letter- 

 frack (C. T. C). 



G. soRORCULELLA, Hb. — Crookhaven, Co. Cork (iv.). 

 G. DiFFiNis, Haw. — Howth, abundant. 

 Brachmia mouffetella, Schiff. — Killarney. 

 Bryotropha terrella, Hb. — Abundant everywhere. 

 B. UESERTELLA, Duufil. — Sandhills of Dublin coast; Derry 

 (C) ; Newcastle, Co. Down, abundant (IF.) ; Sligo {R.). 



(To be continued.) 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



The Stevens Collection. — The first portion of this very interest- 

 ing collection of British Lepidoptera, gathered together duriug a 

 period of over sixty years, was dispersed at the well-known auction 

 rooms in King Street, Covent Garden, on March 27th and 28th last. 

 The bulk of the material produced about usual prices per lot, but 

 some of the choicer species and aberrations were keenly contested for 

 by the bidders. The following are some of the more important items 

 among the Rhopalocera : — 



Pieris daplidice. Of this species there were four specimens, and 

 the prices obtained for them ranged from 7s. to £1 ; the higher sum 

 being paid for an example which the late Mr. Samuel Stevens himself 

 captured at Dover in 1872. 



Ardynnis Intona. Twelve specimens, six of which, taken by Mr. 

 Stevens in 1872, sold at from 5s. 6d. to 17s. 6d. ; the other examples 

 averaged about 6s. each. One of the specimens was lotted with two 

 examples of A. niube taken by Parry m 1874, and the entire parcel 

 only realized 16s. 



There were nine specimens of Vanessa antiopa, all with data, and 

 these sold at from 6s. to £1 os. ; the top price was given for an example 

 taken at Worksop, Notts, in 1829 ; the lowest figure was for lots 41 

 and 42 combined — one ancient example datiug from 1803, and 

 formerly in Donovan's collection ; the other taken at Hammersmith in 

 1849— 12s. the couple. 



Fourteen specimens of Chrysophanus dispar were offered, one 

 example at a time, and these realized altogether £71 15s., which 

 amount works out an average of £5 2s. 6d. apiece. The lowest, price 

 was £2 for a dwarf male, while a grand example of the same sex 

 brought £8. 



Lycana acis was represented by seventeen specimens, and these 

 fetched £6, or at the rate of about 7s. each ; the first lot of six 

 examples, however, went for £2 10s., which gives an average price 

 per specimen of about 8s. 3d. 



