NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 117 



links connecting the two genera Scoparia and Eudorea. 1 think, 

 although sub-generically separated, it is not a great way from cembrce. 

 In Dr. Chapman's arrangement, if we remove the foreign species 

 immediately preceding it, only basistrigalis stands between the two, 

 S. phaoleuca, Z., perpUxella, Z., and pyrencealis being the foreign 

 species intervening. I hope some of our younger collectors will turn 

 their attention to these very interesting insects, and since Mr. Whittle 

 has bred pallida I hope he will soon be able to tell us something 

 about the larva of this rather anomalous insect. — A. Thurnall ; 

 Wanstead, Essex, April 19th, 1917. 



Abundance during Daytime of Hibernia defoliaria in Epping 

 Forest. — I wish to record the unusual appearance during the day- 

 time this year of Hibernia defoliaria on February 18th. 



In normal seasons the emergence of H. defoliaria in Epping 

 Forest begins in November, and during the last twelve years I have 

 found it to be most prolific and in the best condition during the 

 second and third weeks of December. Its emergence usually con- 

 tinues into January, but after the end of December the caught insects 

 are generally in a rather worn condition. At the period when this 

 insect is most prolific, however, it is seldom met with during the 

 daytime, the insects hiding among dead leaves. This winter, owing 

 presumably to the very low temperature obtaining during the latter 

 half of December and the whole of January, the emergence of 

 H. defoliaria was held up, and this led to the unusual occurrence 

 which I am recording. After seven or eight weeks of intensely cold 

 weather it suddenly turned mild on Saturday, February 17th, and 

 when strolling through the Forest in the evening I found the woods 

 enveloped in a thick mist of a fairly warm temperature. This 

 induced me to visit the Forest again the following morning, Sunday, 

 February 18th, and on nearly every tree-trunk I found a ? example 

 of H. defoliaria, and on several trees I counted as many as four and 

 five on each. Male examples were also to be found not uncommonly 

 on the tree-trunks, and most of them were still drying their wings. 

 I estimate that during the three hours I spent in the Forest I must 

 have seen about 500 9 examples and about 50 ($ examples of 

 H. defoliaria all freshly emerged. During the last few years this 

 species has been noticeably affected by melanism, and during 

 December, 1914, I took 12 fine melanic ,^ examples, the total 

 number of melanic c? examples which I had taken up to that time, 

 i. e. during the previous twelve years, being altogether 3. Melanic 

 9 examples are also to be met with, and are pitch black, the mottled 

 markings of the typical $ form only showing on the thorax. On the 

 Sunday in question, of the 500 ? examples seen, 5 were of the black 

 melanic form, which gives a fair approximation of the percentage of 

 melanic examples. I should think 1 per cent, is now a very fair 

 average for the melanic form both for ^ and ? examples. — E. T. 

 Bowman ; 108, Station Koad, Chingford, E. 4. 



Late Emergence op Eriogaster lanestris. — As evidence of the 

 backwardness of the season, it may be of interest to record that E. 

 lanestris, from 1915 larvae, began to emerge on the 20th inst.— 

 Percy C. Reid ; Feering Bury, Kelvedon, April 22nd, 1917. 



