SALLOWS. 87 
hundred or hundred and twenty specimens come tumbling into 
the sheet, and all commence skipping about as though for 
mutual amusement. 
In oak woods in the South of England we may expect several 
good species: first there are the hybernated Hoporina croceago, 
Dasycampa rubiginea, or even the very rare Cerastis erythrocephala. 
If we have the luck to get a female of either of these it is well to 
save and even sacrifice a specimen, by allowing it to damage itself 
too much for cabinet purposes, on the chance of obtaining eggs. 
In the case of H. croceago it may be kept alive for some weeks in 
a box with a few dead oak leaves, if fed with sugar and water. 
Others, which have lived through the winter in the perfect state, 
are Xylina semibrunnea, X. petrificata, and X. rhizolitha. Eggs 
from any of these are useful, especially the two former, which are 
much wanted by northern collectors. The sugar and water treat- 
ment applies to all these cases, and it is best to turn in both sexes 
together, as the pairing of these hybernated Noctuze appears to 
take place in spring rather than in autumn. 
The species of the genus T’eniocampa are generally easily 
distinguished, even by artificial light and before boxing, unless 
we except J’. populeti, which may be overlooked for dark 
T’. stabilis. ‘The former species is found in places where aspen 
(Populus tremula) grows, and should be carefully watched for in 
such localities. Excepting T’. jewcographa, T. populeti is now the 
rarest moth of the genus; although I remember in my early 
collecting days how we used to walk seven miles each way for 
seven nights in the week in search of the then rare 7. opima, and 
if we got four specimens during the whole night’s work of five or 
six hours we were so elated as to forget that we were tired. That 
was before our confréres of Liverpool had found that this species 
occurs commonly on the sandhills at Wallasey. There they 
are found by searching the low herbage, especially the dwarf roses 
(Rosa spinosissima), at night with a lantern. In this way I have 
taken as many dozens in a couple of hours as we used to take 
individuals in a season at the Yorkshire sallows. T’. leucographa 
is a good moth, and appears to be more northern in its range in 
England than most of the other members of its family. I found 
it one season at Bishop’s Wood, near Selby, in Yorkshire ; the 
night was very wet, and the sallows could only be searched and 
not shaken, so that I got less than a dozen specimens. 
