74 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, 



in earnest. To use a common expression — "The woods were 

 full of them," but they were rather wild. Occasionally one would 

 light high and necessitate taking it with the net. I found such 

 specimens were seldom perfect though I used great care and speed 

 in killing and removing. Later in the season I tried chloroform- 

 ing such specimens and rather liked the plan, as in this manner 

 I secured some good specimens which would otherwise either 

 have been ruined or else have escaped. We searched one side 

 of the stream only and probably a strip four rods in width and 

 two hundred yards in length, but by noon had taken seventeen 

 fine Catocalae, several Geometrids and a few Neonympha eurytris. 



Eating dinner as quickly as we could, conveniently, we began 

 the chase again, going over the same ground and then returning 

 on the opposite side of the creek. We found the game (no other 

 word seems appropriate to me) even more plentiful than in the 

 morning. On one hickory tree I found six specimens and at 

 least three species. Sometimes we could see them without scaring 

 them up, but so closely do the closed wings of these beauties 

 resemble the bark that it required great skill and generally we 

 found them by "whipping" the trees. We were compelled to 

 leave the field early to reach home, and it was with much regret 

 that we finally relinquished the chase after having taken forty fine 

 Catocalae. 



To me it was one of the most exciting and ienjoyable days I 

 ever spent after insects, and I was proud of our catch. We 

 hoped to revisit this locality before the season was over, but 

 found it impossible. On the i6th of August I took about twenty 

 more specimens of Catocalae near Central City, 111., and at dif- 

 ferent times during the season took a few at sugar. I have now 

 in my collection the following species (twenty-three in all) which 

 I have taken in Clay and Jackson Counties, and which represent 

 one day's collecting and several odd hours that I could spend in 

 the woods: viduata, desperata, fiebilis, robinsonii, obscura, var. 

 simulatilis, residua, amatrix, cara, ilia, neogama, piatrix, habilis, 

 gryyiea, innubens var. scintillans, angusi var. hccilla, insolabilis, 

 palcBogama, arnica and var. nerissa. 



I can report very successful collecting in Fayette County during 

 the months of July and August, also some fine captures during 

 September in Cook County. I also succeeded in raising several 

 broods of larvae, the most interesting of which was a small brood 



