142 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 

 INSECTS. 



(NOTES BY W.P.C.) 



Throughout the year 1 was much hampered by an unruly 

 appendix which will trouble me no more. 1914 was a 

 distinctly unfavourable year, the weather was very bad 

 during the early part of the Spring, and we had an abnormally 

 high number of wet Saturdays and Sundays, which rendered 

 field work well-nigh impossible ; added to this, as will be 

 seen by the bird notes under my own and my brother's 

 initials, we were much engaged on the investigation we are 

 making with regard to bird attacks on lepidoptera. After 

 the declaration of war it seemed inadvisable to be about at 

 night with powerful lamps, and so a scheme we had for work- 

 ing the Frome Valley for reed insects fell through and we 

 attempted no night work. 



March was characterised by high wind, low temperature, 

 and much wet, but Tephrosia bistortata was out on March 15 

 at Canford and Chimabache jagella on March 21. Whilst 

 on March 28 I obtained Amphidasys prodromaria at rest at 

 Canford, an insect I have not previously met with there. 

 (W. P. C.). 



On the 5th April the only insect seen moving all day was a 

 bumble bee. On the 17th April I obtained at Bloxworth 

 Tacniocampa gracilis var. rufescens, Cockerell ; whilst this 

 form has previously been taken at Poole, I do not think it 

 has been taken so far into the county before. On the 18th 

 April I obtained two further specimens near Hyde, and a 

 specimen of the grey form with pink fringes. On the 25th 

 April Cyaniris argiolus was out. On the 26th April 1 saw 

 Brephos nolha at Canford, but failed to catch it. 



In April the weather looked up a little, but May was wet 

 and in great part dull and chilly, except about the 16th, when 

 Lycaena icarus, Chrysophanus phloeas, Nisionades tages, and 

 Argynnis euphrosyne appeared. On 26 June Mr. Lewis, a 

 chemist at Poole, brought me a female Zeuzera aesculi taken 



