NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 91 



to increase entomological knowledge by record-keeping. Such 

 volunteers ought easily to be found througli the various entomological 

 societies. Sutlicient knowledge to identify the species is all that 

 would be necessary, so that beginners would be welcome. I would 

 venture to suggest that the experiment be confined at first to the 

 Rhopalocera and afterwards extended. Bach volunteer could be 

 supplied with a form on which to enter his particulars under headings 

 such as "name of species," "date of first capture," "place found, 

 whether woodland, marsh, moor, dovv'ns, mountain, etc.," "nature of 

 soil, whether chalk, clay, etc.," "whether abundant, common, scarce 

 or rare," "other observations." The volunteers should send in their 

 forms at the close of the season, together with a type pair of each 

 common species (wild caught, not bred), to an appointed secretary to 

 tabulate and summarise. The results could be published annually 

 either in the form of a special supplement to the ' Entomologist,' 

 or as a cheap pamphlet. It is important that the secretary should be an 

 enthusiastic, energetic and experienced lepidopterist of high standing, 

 and I would venture to suggest the name of Mr. Rowland-Brown if that 

 gentleman would accept the post. I should be quite willing to volunteer 

 my services for the south coast of the Isle of Wight for 1920.— Ernest 

 Cornell; Burmah, Newport Road, Ventnor, January 8th, 1920. 



Notes on the Early Geometrid.e. — The appearance of the early 

 spring Geometers has been erratic this year at Windermere. By 

 January lith Phigalia pcdaria was quite common on the electric 

 lamps and Rybcrnia Icucophcearia and H. marcjinaria were just 

 beginning. A very fine example of the " black " form of P. pedaria 

 was taken. One noteworthy point this year with regard to both //. 

 marginaria and H. leucopkcBaria was the large proportion of dicarf 

 specimens, some of the former species being no bigger than odd fine 

 examples of Cheimatohia hrumata in my collection. Perhaps the 

 abnormal heat here in the latter half of May last year was accountable 

 for the premature pupation of the larv£e. I have noticed the same 

 tendency when larvae have been "forced" at high temperatures. On 

 February 5th the first Anisopterijx tescularia was observed — an early 

 date for this part of the world ; whilst on the same night the earliest 

 examples of Hybernia rupicapraria appeared— an insect we are 

 accustomed to look for about mid-January. The extreme form (var. 

 fuscata) of Hybernia marginaria is fairly common at Kendall (eight 

 miles away), but apparently absent from Windermere, though .occa- 

 sional specimens with a leaning towards melanism do occur at the 

 latter place. This is curious, for other species — Phigalia p)edaria, 

 Gonodontis bidentata (var. nigra), Hybernia Icucophoiaria and Himera 

 pennaria are more strongly melanic at Windermere than at Kendal. 

 In the latter locality we have no recorded capture of a black male P. 

 j^edaria, although black females predominate. — Frank Littlewood ; 

 22, Highgate, Kendal, February 10th, 1920. • 



The Winter Moths. — I was interested to read the note of your 

 correspondent, Mr. H. D. Ford {antea, p. 67), re the above, and in 

 answer to his query I can inform him that his observation as to the 

 prevalence of females over males in most of these moths is quite 

 usual. This at first sight may not appear so to those who search for 



