ENTOMOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 9 



My friend Mr. Threlfall was with me, and he only met with 

 one. We were evidently too early for all the Micropterijx, so 

 turned to finding Elachista larvaj, but with little success. 

 During the whole of the month of April there was little or no 

 sun, so there was an entire void of all the species I had met 

 with in former years. May came in, and now some of the early 

 April species appeared, such as Lohophora polycomtnata, 

 very fine, on May 12th, at Witherslack ; the usual time is 

 April 12th. The hibernating DepreasaricB began to creep out 

 in the middle of May, and two Capreolella crept up whilst I 

 was boxing Elachista sahnigrella ; and at Witherslack 

 Microptenjx salopiella only began to appear about May 

 20th, as well as Incurvaria ZinckeneUa. I was afraid that 

 as all the birches that M. salopiella was on had been cleared 

 away during the winter I should find none of that species; 

 but there were some little bushes sheltered from the wind, 

 which never ceased to blow; and as I stood beside thera 

 patiently, they came popping up as if by magic during the 

 gleams of sunshine, so I netted over thirty specimens. Whilst 

 standing motionless I heard something hissing for some time, 

 but was too intent on M. salopiella to pay attention to the 

 cause. At last the reptile, probably tired of my presence, 

 began to crawl off, when I despatched it with my stick. I 

 then went round the bush, and there was another fine viper, 

 which was really a pretty sight: the fore part of the body was 

 raised in a straight line, about two inches off the ground, with 

 its eyes looking at me to see if I was going to pass on ; it was 

 motionless to escape detection, and the peculiar position made 

 it look more like a piece of lichen-coloured fir-stick than a 

 snake ; however the same fate befel it as the other. The weather 

 was bitterly cold for larva hunting. Sciaphila Penziana, 

 Cramhus genie ulellus, and a good many Sati/rus Semele larvae 

 turned up among the roots of the grass on the rocks ; off 

 the birch came fine larvae of the butterfly emerald {Geometra 

 papilionaria), but they stick hard and fast. On the heath we 

 swept some luindreds of cases of Coleophora pyrrhulipen- 

 nella, not one in a dozen of which, however, may be expected 

 to breed up. Caioptria aspicliscana, like other things, was 

 not as common as usual, but it was hard to judge ; some odd 

 corners seemed to yield well. All the butterflies, Neineobius 

 Luciiia, Lt/cceiia Argiolus, Thauaos Tages, &c., were very 

 scarce ; LeucopJuisia Si/uipis I saw laying its eggs, as usual, 

 on the Lotus corniculatiis, in the woods at Grange. Sticking 

 on tiie rocks, at Witherslack, we found scores of cases of 



