EFFECT OF EARLY SPRING OF 1920 ON BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 85 
effect on Lepidoptera was hardly so pronounced as might have 
been expected. In no way can the season of 1920 be compared 
to the early season of 1893, when insects raced along, and in many 
cases were much dwarfed in consequence. In the present season 
things seem to have been equalised by the very sudden changes 
of temperature which were experienced. On May 25th, when the 
thermometer reached 81°, the summer seemed to have spent 
itself in a few days, after which we were subjected to occasional 
night frosts well into June. I was on the borders of Dartmoor 
during the second week of June, and there I saw that the young 
bracken had been blackened by frost, and again in Essex at 
North Weald on July 8rd much the same thing was to be seen, 
only that the bracken was of much older growth before being 
frosted. Some of the spring larve were early. Hybernia 
defoliaria was full grown by May 15. In Monks Wood the larve 
of Thecla prunt were about the same size as at the same date 
last year, and Zephyrus betule were slightly larger, while 
Trichiura crategi were smaller than in 1919. Generally speaking 
larve were scarce. By May 25th in Epping Forest the 
common Hyberniide larve were nearly over, and what were 
left were mostly ichneumoned. 
Of the very early spring Geometers I have no unusually early 
dates to record, although there are records of Phigalia pedaria 
(pilosaria) appearing as early as the middle of January in the 
north of England. The first 1 saw was on February 1st at 
Chingford ; the first H. leucophearia on February 6th at Crawley 
Down ; Apocheima hispidaria on February 8th at Kast Grinstead. 
B. strataria was taken at Loughton on April 21st and Tenio- 
campa gothica on May 5th at Bexley Heath, both of which are 
really late dates. I picked up a fine specimen of Cymatophora 
ocularis at Loughton on May 80th, which perhaps is somewhat 
early, and also X. fluctuata on April 19th, also early. 
Commencing with the Pieridae, there were one or two remark- 
ably early records of Pieris rape in the ‘ Entomologist,’ but the 
first one that I saw flying was not until April 25th, which of 
course is rather late than otherwise. In fact the species was 
not really numerous until May 9th. The other two ‘‘ Whites ”’ 
were in their usual abundance, but perhaps not in sufficient 
numbers to call forth any special comment, unless it was an 
unusually prolific second brood of P. brassice in early August at 
Loughton. There were also some very early records of Huchloé 
cardamines in the ‘ Entomologist,’ but personally I saw nothing 
to call for special notice. Hibernated Gonepteryx rhamni were 
seen on May 15th by me, but as I have only seen one specimen 
during the autumn it would appear that the weather proved 
unsuitable for them. I have seen Colias edusa very sparingly at 
a quite normal date on August 14th at Mayfield, Sussex. As to 
the Fritillaries, those that I have met with have been out at about 
