CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 173 



National Collection of British Lepidoptera. — In response to our 

 appeal for help in perfecting this collection, Mr. William M. Christy, 

 of Watergate, Hants, has been good enough to send to the Natural 

 History Museum at South Kensington a fine collection of moths from 

 Shetland, together with some local forms of other species. We hope 

 that further assistance may be given during the season. (For lists of 

 species wanted, please refer to p. 135.) 



The name Micropyga. — I do not see how an author can excuse 

 himself for proposing new generic names without taking the slightest 

 trouble to see whether they have been used before. If Mr. Jacoby 

 (cf. Entom. p. 92) had consulted the ' Nomenclator Zoologicus ' he 

 would have found Micropyga, Agassiz, 1879, which quite precludes 

 the use of the same name for his beetle-genus. There are also extant 

 M?c/o/)?/r/e, Hawle, and i/tcrOj^^^^m, Bonaparte, though these are properly 

 regarded as different names. — T. D. A. Cockerell. 



Birds attacking Lepidoptera. — With reference to Mr. W. Parkinson 

 Curtis's note {ante p. 68) re " Kestrel destroying butterflies," I should 

 like to record that, on July 18th, 1897, at Addington, Surrey, I had a 

 specimen of Arfjynnis adippe under my net, which, however, managed 

 to escape, but after chasing it some distance it settled on the ground, 

 and before I had time to again net it, a bird dashed at it, and soon 

 made short work of it. Unfortunately I did not note to what species 

 the bird belonged (it was certainly not so large as a thrush), as the 

 whole thing was over so quic'dy, and I was pretty well "done up" after 

 my run, and chagrined at the loss of the insect, as I had never before 

 seen the butterfly there, nnr since. Again, I have a note in my diary, 

 on March 13th, 1899, of watching a sparrow chasing a specimen of 

 Vanessa urtica, at Whitstable, which it captured. On June lltli, 1901, 

 I found a great many full-grown larvae of F. polychloros wandering 

 about the road near Brockenhurst station, and while taking a number 

 I noticed that some thrushes were as busily engaged as I was, and one 

 flew quite close to me with two larvse in its beak. I send the above 

 notes, as I heard it asserted the other day that birds do not attack 

 butterflies. — C. W. Colthrup. 



CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 



Spring Notes (1903) in Wilts and Hants. — Early in January 

 Hybeniia dffoliaria was observed at Salisbury. The evening of Feb. 

 3rd being very mild, I went round the street-lamps, but only saw 

 males of Cheimatohia bnimata. During this month Phiyalia pilosaria, 

 Hijbernia muryinaria, and //. leucopluiaria were also about. Owing to the 

 mild weather vegetation was very forward, hawthorn bushes in shel- 

 tered positions being actually in leaf on Feb. 10th. March continued 

 mild, and many sallows were in full bloom the first week. Blackthorn 

 blossoms were seen on the 4th. Gonepteryx rhamni and Vanessa urtictB 

 were both on the wing. Xyllna rhizolitha, Xylocampa Ikhorhiza, 

 Hybeniia rupicapraria, H. maryinaria, Eupithecia abhreviata, and Diurnea 

 fagella were seen ; whilst at sallows, which I had no opportunity of 



