222 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
orichalcea—a fine male, his wings shining in the sun. My net 
was over it in a moment, and it is now on my setting-board. 
I beat about all the following day, but could not find a second 
specimen. ‘This insect was taken in the same place in September, 
1858, since which time I have not heard of its being captured.— 
V. R. Perkins; 54, Gloucester Street, S.W. 
ACRONYCTA ALNI AND PLUSIA ORICHALCEA AT WOODCHESTER. 
—I took a specimen of Acronycta alni in July at rest on a stone 
wall during the day, and on the 8th of this month my companion, 
the Rev. H. Reader, took Plusia orichalcea at rest on a frond of 
mountain fern in the morning, and I had the like good fortune, 
in the afternoon, of finding another perfect specimen at rest, 
evidently just emerged.—[(Rev.] H.S. B. Garss, O.P. ; Dominican 
Priory, Woodchester. 
ABUNDANCE OF PYRAMEIS CARDUI AND PLUSIA GAMMA AT 
Barrie.—This last week Pyrameis cardwi has appeared in this 
neighbourhood in very great abundance.  Plusia gamma, also, 
has been unusually plentiful.—THomas Howr; Normanhurst 
Court, Battle, Sussex, August 17, 1879. 
ABUNDANCE OF PYRAMEIS CARDUI AND PiusiA GAMMA.—Adverse 
as the weather has been to vegetable and insect hfe generally, 
this season there must have been something in it singularly 
favourable to the development of P. cardui and P. gamma. The 
former are swarming here in thousands, and the latter in tens of 
thousands. With the doubtful exception of gnats on a calm 
summer evening I have never seen any species of insect so 
multitudinous.—W. McRar; Westbourne House, Bournemouth, 
August 25, 1879. 
EXTRAORDINARY ABUNDANCE OF fPuustA GAmMMA.—In_ the 
August number of the ‘Entomologist’ (Hntom., xi., 194), Mr. 
Fitch, in a very instructive article, has given some details 
respecting certain enemies to our pea crops, which did much 
injury in the spring of this year. And now another army of 
depredators has come forth to the attack, for our farmers—at 
least those of this district —have been ruefully lamenting the 
havoc committed by immense numbers of the larve of Plusia 
gamma, whole fields of peas being well-nigh stripped bare of 
leaves by them, thus arresting of necessity the subsequent 
development of the peas in the pods. I collected on the 5th 
