I 



INSECTS 



BOARMIIN^E (continued) 



species being the chief offenders ; at 

 such times it is uncomfortable to 

 pass through the woods in conse- 

 quence of the number of pendent 

 silken threads and larvae which 

 catch one's face, etc. The perfect 

 insects show great variation from a 

 unicolorous brown to pale specimens 

 richly marked with dark bars 



Anisopteryx asscularia, Schiff. Generally 

 distributed and fairly common 



Phigalia pedaria, F. (pilosaria [S.V.], Hb.) 

 Common. All are of the usual form ; 

 the black form has not yet been no- 

 ticed. I think however ours are per- 

 haps dullerandless richly marked than 

 some southern ones 



Biston hispidaria (S.V.), F. Far from com- 

 mon. Occurs regularly in Chakot 

 Wood, Knowle ; also recorded from 

 Hay Wood and Umbenlade (W. Kiss) ; 

 Atherstone (C. Baker) ; Button Park 

 (Blatch Hand. ; F. Knock, Sat. Guide 

 = has not however been seen there 

 for many years, C. J. W.) ; Rugby 

 = Wolscote, Brandon Woods, etc. 

 (Rugby lists) 



hirtaria, Cl. Very rare. Mr. W. G. 



Blatch has it from Knowle, and it 

 also occurs in the Rugby lists, though 

 from a communication received from 

 Mr. N. V. Sidgwick I think it is 

 probably in mistake 



strataria, Hufn. (prodromaria, SchirF.) 



Rare ; but I think it occurs through- 

 out the district. It is usually obtained 

 in the pupal stage, and the greater 

 portion never develop, but emerge 

 and become cripples. Even when 

 found at liberty a large proportion 

 are imperfect 



Amphidasis betularia, L. Common through- 

 out the district ; generally taken in 

 the larval stage from poplars, etc. ; 

 var. Doubledayaria, Mill., is very 

 common, and although I think the 

 larger portion are still the type, yet 

 the variety is very rapidly obtaining 

 a majority 



Hemerophila abruptaria, Thnbg. Not 

 common, but generally distributed, 

 and comes to ' light ' sometimes in 

 the suburbs of Birmingham 



Boarmia gemmaria, Brahm. (rhomboidaria 

 [S.V.], Hb.) Common everywhere. 

 Is particularly common in gardens 

 amongst the ivy on houses, etc. 



[ ribeata, Cl. (abietaria [S.V.], Hb.) Is 

 recorded from Frankton Wood by G. 



BOARMIIN^E (continued) 



B. Longstaff in E.M.M. 1866, p. 

 138, but probably in error, as I do 

 not think it occurs with us at all] 

 Boarmia repandata, L. Common every- 

 where ; but while gemmaria occurs 

 in gardens, this seems to belong to the 

 woods. Var. conversaria, Hb., has 

 not been recorded in the county 



roboraria, Schiff. Very rare. It is re- 



corded several times in the Rugby 

 lists from Brandon Woods, Frankton, 

 etc. Mr. W. C. E. Wheeler says 

 it occurs at Wolford, but is not com- 

 mon ; and Mr. R. C. Bradley has 

 a specimen supposed to have been 

 taken near Coventry 



lichenaria, Hufn. Mr. W.C.E. Wheeler 



gives it in his Wolford list, and it 

 occurs in the Rugby lists, but I think 

 it is very doubtful if it really occurs 

 in the county 



crepuscularia (S.V.), Hb.) I am told 



bistortata, Goeze. [that all our 



specimens are bistortata, and that 

 crepuscularia is not a midland in- 

 sect. I confess however that I cannot 

 follow the distinctions or synonomy 

 of this pair of species. Our species 

 is fairly common and generally dis- 

 tributed, and the commoner form 

 seems to be the one with but slight 

 markings and evenly dusted with 

 grey 



luridata, Bkh. (extersaria, Hb.) Rare. 



Wolford (W. C. E. Wheeler) ; Rugby 

 = Brandon floods, etc. (Rugby lists) ; 

 Whitchurch (L. C. Keighley-Peach) 



punctularia, Hb. Not common. Coven- 



try (G. H. Kenrick) ; Atherstone (C. 

 Baker) ; Rugby = Brandon Woods, etc. 

 (Rugby lists) 



Ematurga atomaria, L. Very common in 

 Sutton Park, and probably equally so 

 wherever heather grows. Recorded 

 from Knowle (R. C. Bradley) ; Mars- 

 ton Green (G. W. Wynn) ; Wolford 

 (W. C. E. Wheeler) ; Athentone (C. 

 Baker) 



Bupalus piniarius, L. Very common in 

 Sutton Park, and also recorded from 

 Knowle (R. C. Bradley, etc.); Rugby 

 = Frankton, Brandon Woods, Prince- 

 thorpe, etc. (Rugby lists) 



Thamnonoma wauaria, L. Common, 

 especially in gardens 



Phasiane petraria, Hb. Fairly common. 

 Sutton (P. W. Abbott, R. C. Brad- 

 ley, etc.) ; Knowle (R. C. Bradley, 

 etc.) ; Atherstone (C. Baker) ; Rugby 



147 



