SOT 

 HEREFORDSHIRE LEPIDOPTERA, 



(Communicated by the PRESIDENT). 



The following list of Herefordshire Lepidoptera has been kindly prepared 

 for the Club by the family of the Rev. Thos. Hutchinson, M. A., of Grantsfield, 

 near Leominster, for that district of the county; and by Mr. Alfred Puichas 

 for the Ross district. Oa forwarding the Hat lately to Mr. Hutchinson for 

 revision, it was returned with a letter, which seemed to me so interesting that 

 I have asked permission to read some passages from it to the Club : — 



"You will perceive that we were not idle last season, and were rewarded 

 by taking no less than 48 new species in the county. Our captures were not 

 confined entirely to this immediate neighbourhood. Several species new to us 

 were taken on Dinmore-hill, a place we visited many times during the summer. 

 The somewhat local Lithosia Orisiola was taken at Lugwardine. There can 

 be no doubt that many new species will still reward patient research. 



"Of the 48 species mentioned above, 23 are Torlrices. We have only 

 lately attacked these. They are far more difficult than the Macro- Lepidoptera. 

 "The Tincfc are still a 'closed book' to us all, and yet their exceeding 

 beauty makes us long to understand them. The county is probably rich in 

 this most extensive group, which contains above ()50 species in itself. In 1865 

 we bad the good fortune to take an example of one of them, Cerostoma 

 Asperdla, of which only six British specimens had before been recorded. 

 These were all taken at Glan- Wootton, Dorset, above forty years ago, five by 

 the great entomologist, Mr. Dale, and one by his friend, Mr. Curtis. Mr. 

 Dale favoured us with all the particulars. The specimen we captured is now 

 honoured with a place in Mr. Doubleday's collection. 



" Besides Imagos, last season, our eldest son Tom took a large number of 

 Larvce. Two exceedingly rare ones, Dicranura Bicuspis and Acronycta Alni, 

 the latter was injured when found and died. There is a faint hope that 

 D. Bicuspis will yet emerge, but this cocoon met with an untoward accident 

 and the pupa may have been injured. We have not ventured to mark either, 

 and yet we are as sure of them, as if we had the Imagos. Tom we hope will 

 become a really good naturalist. The ease with which he finds larvK and 

 his power of knowing insects on the wing by the slightest jieculiarity in their 

 mode of flying is very surprising. He is the great taker of our treasures, but 

 a few fall also to the other children, and all are equally fond of the study." 



The second letter, which gave me permission to read this one to you, 

 says in addition : — 



" It may be well to furnish you with one or two further particulars, lest 

 any entomologist present at the meeting_,should consider ' Mr. Hutchinson's 

 family ' are given to name species too freely. Whenever we take a rare species, 

 or one not likely to occur here, we always place it in the hands of one of our 

 first entomologists, so as to be quite sure that we have named it correctly. 

 Should any one, therefore, express surprise that Hepialus velUda, Melanippe 



