2G8 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



were to be seen a clay or two ago, was also swarming to-day, probably 

 another case of enforced immigration. — Gekvase F. Mathew ; Dover- 

 court, Essex, Sept. 22ud, 1903. 



I noticed a few hybernated specimens of this butterfly here in the 

 early summer months, but owing to the miserable weather in July I did 

 not examine thistles for the larva3. No doubt there have been imagos 

 about for the last week or two, but the first I noticed was on a 

 Michaelmas daisy in ray garden, yesterday. Imagine my surprise, 

 then, when I saw at least fifty specimens of this beautiful insect dis- 

 porting themselves on the flowers of Sediim spectabile, in the garden at 

 Woodham, Mortimer Place, this morning. The Hechon is planted in a 

 row some thirty yards long, to form the border of a flower-bed. Here 

 and there among the cardui flashed out the vivid scarlet of V. atalanta, 

 and there were simply hundreds of humble-bees and hive-bees, not to 

 mention that common autumn imitator of the latter, Eriatalis tenax. 

 Truly a wonderful and magnificent sight, and long to be remembered. 

 — (Eev.) Gilbert H. Raynor ; Hazeleigh Rectory, Maldon, Essex, 

 Sept. 21st. 



SiREX GiGAs IN Ireland. — A few days since, my son, Colonel 

 Battersby, was cutting branches off a fallen pine-tree, when he per- 

 ceived an unknown insect flying about, and secured it by knocking it 

 down with his cap ; it proved to be a female 8. iiujas — a beautiful 

 specimen, with an enormously long ovipositor, and brilliant markings 

 of velvety black and yellow. — Frai^ces T. Battersby ; Cromlyu, 

 Rathowen, West Meath, August. 21st, 1903. 



Plusia chrysitis. — I. note Mr. Shaw's and Rev. Claxton's reply to 

 my notes on this species {ante, p. 219). Although the species may be 

 plentiful at Finchley and Romford, I am still of the opinion that such 

 is not the case for this district. I have also lived near Farnborough 

 (Kent), and at Lady well, near Lee aud Lewisham, and my experience 

 has been the same in all these places. Strange to say, I captured a 

 very tine specimen of this species at electric light here, shortly after 

 the publication of my note — the first example that I have taken for 

 four years ; I also took another at bramble-bloom, in the New Forest, 

 last month, on the 20th. — A. J. Lawrance ; Anerley. 



Spilodes palealis in Surrey. — On Aug. 14th last I had the 

 pleasure of taking an example of N. palealis at Esher. Is not the 

 appearance of this species in Surrey rather remarkable? I have 

 always understood that it was confined to the coast of Kent. — Ernest 

 Warne; 45, St. John's Hill, Clapham Junction, Sept. 14th, 1903. 



Apamea ophiogramma. — On the third of this month my husband, 

 while puUing up some weeds in the garden, disturbed a moth, which he 

 brought to me, as it appeared to him to be uncommon. It proved to be 

 A. ophiogramma, but in such poor condition that I let it go again. In 

 the evening of the same day I took a fine specimen at dusk, and 

 another on the evening of the 5th. We have noticed for some time 

 that the patches of striped ribbon-grass {Phalaris varieyata) have been 

 dying off, aud the probability is that the larva of this moth has 

 attacked the roots and stems. — C. Holmes; Ruthven, Sevenoaks, Aug. 

 25th, 1903. 



