144 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
on three evenings. In the autumn nothing came on the most 
favourable nights but a few C. lychnidis and H. micacea. It was 
in fact a wretched season for imagines, though I discovered 
Epione advenaria at Selborne, and, in a swamp by the river here, 
Leucania straminea, Acidalia immutaria and abundant Nudaria 
senex. The most profitable work was larvee-beating in the early 
summer. The oaks were hopeless as one only filled the umbrella 
with the exuvie of 7’. viridana, so I attacked the chalk flora, and 
clematis, buckthorn and maple yielded everything I expected. 
Most noteworthy were Hupithecia inturbata, May 14th on maple 
trees. Ptilophora plumigera, four on May 81st. . Three of these 
emerged within twelve hours November 89th, a remarkable piece 
of timing! They do not appear to have a fixed time of day for 
emergence. One was drying its wings at 11 p.m., another was 
out by 8 a.m., and a third in the course of the morning; the 
fourth also emerged in the morning, a few days later. This 
species may be commoner than is supposed. ‘The larva is a 
common looking thing, with none of the characteristics of a 
Notodontid larva, and they were full fed by the end of May. I 
also beat four larve of Lophopteryx cuculla, three very small on 
July 5th, and one larger later on. One small one produced a 
host of Chalcid flies, two were presumably injured in beating and 
went mouldy, and only one pupated. ‘These larve when very 
small are distinctly bristly, a fact which I do not find mentioned 
in the books. They are, however, unmistakable when closely 
examined. 
Kmergences must have been protracted this season and I had 
an interesting illustration. Ifounda 2 Dicranura vinula on a 
poplar trunk on May 9th. On July 27th a boy brought me an 
infant larva which | assumed to be Cerura bifida from the date, 
until it began to attain such portentous dimensions that at last 
it dawned upon me that it was D. vinula after all. One other 
experience had its humorous side. I found a winter nest of 
Euproctis chrysorrhea on the cliff at Ventnor on April 19th and 
took it home. Though no bigger than my fist the number of 
young larve that emerged from it was positively alarming. 
They are not pleasant to handle and were a real embarras de 
richesse. I did not like to turn either larve or imagines loose, 
for if they took possession of the neighbouring orchards I should 
find myself unpopular next year. So after setting what I required, 
I let the rest live their life outin the cage. Strange to say, none 
paired, or at any rate deposited any ova. 
On looking back over my notes I see that I took Kupithecia 
pumilata flying on April 8rd, a very early date. Alsoon May 15th 
in a spruce wood at Tisted I found L. pusillata common, and 
what I take to be the true spruce-feeding J'hera variata. 
Egears Grammar School, 
Alton, Hants. 
