CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 163 



joined in the gardens by crocuses in full blossora. Shortly after entering 

 the Forest I took a fine female Asphalia fiavicornis at rest on an oak ; but it 

 Soon became evident T was too late for the early moths, except the sombre 

 little Tortricodes hyemana. A. cBScularia I did not see at all, and only a few 

 specimens of H. leucophcEaria were observed. Collectors who want A. 

 fiavicornis should search low and rather isolated birches in June and July. 

 They will find the caterpillar commonly enough, each inside a folded leaf. 

 Yet the moth is seldom found in spring! My best insect was a female 

 H. leueophmiria, from which I shall try to breed, as the males are of all 

 shades and patterns at Delamere, ranging from entirely black, or black- 

 brown, to the type. The female is wingless, white, well spotted with black, 

 and about the size of the female H. vmrginaria (j^ro^/emmaria). The 

 largest spots are arranged in two dorsal rows. The females vary much, but 

 the description I give seems to usually hold good. Of A'^. hispidaria I took 

 only one specimen, a dark male. In some seasons this is a difficult insect 

 to time, and the present one is an example. Two female H. marginaria 

 complete my list; they differ very much in size, although full of eggs, one 

 being about twice the size of the other, and with remarkably large wings 

 for a female. The basal half of each wing is almost blackened by two dark 

 curved and transverse shades. What a puzzle that the larvse of wingless 

 species, even in the earliest stages, should be so widely distributed among 

 the trees, and even at the ends of the branches ! The females are sluggish, 

 and incapable of such a distribution. The solution appears to be that the 

 males absolutely carry up the females ! (Entom. xxvi. 20). Throughout 

 the day a breeze blew from the south-west, bringing rain at two p.m. All 

 my specimens, except one of three P. pedaria which T forgot to mention, 

 were taken from the sides of oaks away from the wind, that is, from the 

 sides facing north and east. — J. xA.RKLii ; Chester. 



Notes from Aysgarth, Poole. — The Tseniocampas have turned up 

 pretty well at the sallow blossoms in this locality ; T. munda, T. cruda, T. 

 iustabilis, and T. r/othica are fairly plentiful. On Sunday, April 7th, they 

 swarmed; I saw hundreds, but did not take any. On April 11th I took 

 Selenia lunaria in the park here, and also Eapithecia subumhrata, — \V. 

 Parkinson Curtis ; Aysgarth, Poole, April 14th, 1895. 



Nyssia lapponaria in Scotland. — Mr. W. M. Christy informs me 

 that he has lately bred some specimens of N. lapponaria from larvse taken 

 by himself in Scotland last year. I am pleased to add that he has obtained 

 some ova, and that he has kindly promised that if he is successful in 

 getting the species through all its stages he will give us an account of its 

 life-history. The only British example of N. lapponaria that we know 

 anything about is the one taken by Mr. Meek's collector at Piannoch in the 

 spring of 1871. From Mr. Meek this unique specimen went into the 

 collection of the late Mr. Roper Curzon (Fntom. v. 311), and subsequently 

 found its way into the possession of the late Mr. Philip Harper. On the death 

 of the last-named gentleman it was sold at Stevens's for, I believe, £Lt, 

 and ultimately passed into the collection of Mr. Clarence Fry, where, if my 

 information is correct, it still remains. N. lapponaria is stated to be found 

 on the Continent only in Lapland and the Upper Engadine. Staudinger 

 considers this insect may probably be an alpine and boreal form of N. pomo- 

 naria, which occurs in Germany, Switzerland, North-west France, Livonia, 

 Finland, and Lapland; and 1 also incline to this view. — Richard South ; 

 Oxford Road, Macclesfield. 



