ENTOMOLOGICAL SEASON IN SOUTH HANTS AND SOUTH DEVON. 33 



Spliinx convolruU, DcipJinis nerii, Deilepldla livornica and D. 

 ■euphorhite were all common at dusk on honeysuckle. Pterogon 

 (forgoniades also occurs now and then near Yalta. On June 3rd 

 I detected a fine female on a window-pane. When at rest with 

 protruding hind wings it resembles a very small specimen of 

 that handsome grey-marbled moth Smerinthus trenuihe {amu- 

 rensis, Stdr.), which, in happier days, I used to find at the foot 

 of aspens in the neighbourhood of Petrograd. Among other 

 interesting things I may mention Acronifcta pontica, Gnophos 

 stevenaria and Endagria saUcicola, a pearly-white, black-dotted 

 httle moth that is confined to the shores of the Black Sea. 



Trinity College, 



B. Great Court, 



Cambridge. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SEASON OF 1919 IN SOUTH HANTS 

 AND SOUTH DEVON. 



By a. E. Burras, B.A. 



The following summary of the past season based on field 

 work done in South Hants and South Devon may be of interest 

 to other entomologists. The results of this work have led me to 

 conclude that the season just ended has been, not exactly the 

 worst, but the most peculiar for many years. According to my 

 experience the outstanding feature of the season has been the 

 remarkable scarcity of certain usually common species. This 

 scarcity has manifested itself throughout the period, from spring 

 "sallowing," through summer "sugaring," to autumn "ivy- 

 hunting," and generally to larvae-beating throughout the year. 

 To this tale of scarcity, however, there are certain remarkable 

 exceptions. In the sjn-ing, larvae, which had hiberuated, were 

 ■quite up to the average in numbers. 



In South Hants and the New Forest Argynnis cgdippe, Dri/as 

 paphia audits \a,v'iety valezina, ApJiantopusJiyperanthus, Limenitis 

 Sibylla and Pararge egeria were plentiful. Larvae of Zephyrus 

 hetulce were not scarce, whilst, on the other hand, those of 

 Zephyrus quercics were quite remarkably so. Imagines of Callo- 

 pJirys riibi were abuudant, whilst on the same ground those of 

 Nemeohius lucina, usually the more plentiful species, were not 

 •even seen. At sugar in the New Forest Grammesia trignwiinica 

 was the only plentiful species ; Catocala sponsa, Catocala promissa 

 and even Calymnia trapezina were almost entirely absent. 

 Plebeius cegon in the New Forest was scarce. Of our local 

 " Blues," which are all to be taken on the same ground, the most 

 plentiful was Agriades bcUargus, usually the scarcest, the others, 

 <Jupido jniniinus, Agriades corydon, Aricia viedon (nstrarche). 



