CAPTUKES AND FIELD REPORTS. 269 



[Tlie larva of A. ophio(jraiii.ina feeds on the ribbon-grass, and may 

 bo found, nearly or quite full grown, iu the stem towards the root- 

 stock. From the mitldle to the end of April is a good time to examine 

 the plants ; a withered or drooping blade usually indicates the presence 

 of a larva. — Ed.] 



Sphinx convolvuli in Gloucestershire. — A very fine and perfect 

 specimen of this grand "hawk " was taken on September 11th at rest 

 upon a stone wall in the parish of Whalley, near Blackburn, in the 

 north-east of Lancashire, by Master Eric Jacques. The insect was 

 brought to me by its boy captor for identification, very fortunately, as 

 he had no appliances for setting. — Canon Nash ; Standish Vicarage, 

 Stonehouse, Glos. 



Sphinx convolvuli at Scarborough. — To-day one of the workmen 

 employed by Mr. Collier, florist of this town, brought me a line Sphinx 

 convolvnU in perfect condition, which he told me he had just found on 

 the under side of a coping-stone. — F. D. Bland ; 35, Avenue Victoria, 

 Scarborough, Sept. 9th, 1903. 



Sphinx convolvuli at Lowestoft. — This evening I was attracted 

 by a number of people in London Road gazing apparently at an electric 

 light ; on going up to see what was the matter, 1 saw a huge moth 

 flying slowly round the light. I at once recognized it as Sphinx con- 

 volvuli. The puzzle was how to catch it without damage. There was 

 none of the usual dash about its flight, but I had nothing with me, 

 not even a box. Fortunately it partially solved the difficulty, for it 

 flew down on to the pavement, and I immediately put my cap gently 

 over it, and then carefully uncovering, I seized it with the finger and 

 thumb. I carried it two or three hundred yards to a friend's house 

 with scarcely any damage to the insect. There I transferred it to a 

 large inverted tumbler, and thence to a suitable box. Showing how 

 tenacious of life these creatures are, I may say that after being in the 

 box for three or four hours, in which was a piece of cotton-wool 

 saturated with prussic acid, it was still alive ; it then spent the night 

 in an old cyanide bottle, by no means inert, and was alive iu the 

 morning, when I finished it with fresh cyanide. It measured full five 

 inches in expanse. — J. E. Campbell- Taylor ; Lowestoft, Sept. 12th, 

 1903. 



Lepidoptera in August at Brockenhurst. — I spent the first two 

 weeks in August at Brockenhurst. The weather for the first two 

 days was fine, but later it was rather dull, rain being frequent. On 

 the whole, however, I think I had an enjoyable and profitable holiday. 

 On arriving at Brockenhurst, I found out Mr. Morris, and arranged 

 with him to show me round during my stay. Most of the time was 

 occupied with larvje-beating and searching. Amongst other larvfe 

 were Vanesm atahtnta, V. io, Apatura iris (one small one was beaten 

 from sallow), Macroi/lassa fuciformis, Euchelia jacobcecB (extremely abun- 

 dant, almost every plant of ragwort had several larva3 feeding on it), 

 Halias prasinana, Lithosia sororciila (aureola), Dafujchira pndibunda, 

 Psilura monacha, Stauropus fagi, Lophoptcryx camelina, Orgyia antiqua, 

 Nntodonta dromedarius, N. trimacida (dodonea), Phalera bucephala, Mama 

 orion, Demaa cori/li, Acronycta alni, Amphidasys betularia, A, prodromario, 



