DICYCLA OO IN HUNTINGDONSHIRE. 15 



condition, in the midst of a case full of lesser gems. We found 

 that he had seen one about a week previously. 



On next Saturday, July 19th, the oaks around " our old 

 friend" (now duly canonised and worshipped!) were all sugared 

 by 7.15 p.m. The day had been warm and sunny. In the 

 evening thick clouds came up which effectually obscured our 

 enemy — the moon. A warm drizzle started at 10.80, and hard 

 rain about an hour later which continued during the night. 



The first D. oo was boxed by my friend as early as 7.30 ! 

 One or two came before 8. Then the fun waxed fast and furious. 

 No leisurely walking noiv from tree to tree, but hard sprinting. 

 For some time a lamp was quite unnecessary, as they were so 

 conspicuous ; and when at last we lit up, they were much more 

 easily frightened off the trees. Soon after nine they became 

 scarcer, and between 10.30 and 11.30 we only took one specimen. 

 On adding up we found we had forty-five between us, of which 

 thirty-six were females, and only nine males. 



Sunday, the 20th, was cold, stormy, and wet. The night 

 was cloudy and inclined to rain, with a north wind. The tem- 

 perature in many parts of England nearly — if not quite — broke 

 all records for July. Not a promising night for sugar. Yet we 

 took sixteen more D. oo : hardly another species was seen. This 

 time the sexes were exactly equal. On one tree I remember 

 there were three. When boxing the lowest, the other two flew 

 away, only to return to their identical positions. The lower one 

 was now boxed, when the other one again made off, and again 

 we found it settled down on the same spot from which it had 

 been frightened twice. A most obliging insect is D. oo — some- 

 times ! Nothing was to be seen after 10.30, and, more or less 

 frozen in our thin clothes, we made off for bed. 



One in every five was of the variety reiiago, figured in 

 Barrett — a lovely insect. Only forty per cent, of our captures 

 possessed immaculate fringes, but none were actually torn. An 

 unsuccessful attempt was made to obtain ova. Early on Monday 

 we returned to Cambridge. 



On the 17th a female was taken by Mr. E. Brooke and the 

 Rev. F. Fisher about a quarter of a mile aAvay ; and I know of 

 three men who went to our locality on the 23rd and captured a 

 good many. They seemed to brave all kinds of weather, for in the 

 strong north-west gale on the 26th a great number came to sugar. 



Almost a month later, viz. August 17th, in company with 

 Mr. R. Brooke and his two brothers, a female D. oo in good 

 condition, very much to our surprise, turned up at sugar. We 

 were working close to the old locality, and it was nice to have 

 its very near relations — Calymnia trapezina, C. affinis, C. diffinis, 

 and C. pyralina — all at sugar on that night. Next evening we 

 resugared the old trees. Only two, however, which had seen 

 much better days, turned up. 



