CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 27 



of interest. During March and April I bred, amongst other things, 

 Dasychira pudibunda, Drepana unguicula, and Demas coryli. On April 

 2l8t Fararge egeria was out ; I only took one specimen this year, where in 

 previous years I have taken them in plenty. The advance of bricks and 

 mortar is the cause of this. On the same day two nice Cidaria sujfumata, 

 with Anticlea badiata and Tmiiocampa rubricosa. There are so few sallows 

 about this district, and what there are are so far from the town, that I did 

 nothing iu this line. During May Halias prasinana and Zonosoma punc- 

 taria emerged, and a nice Notodonta chaonia was taken on the sea-front at 

 the electric light. On the 24th Euchloe cardamines, Nisoniades tages, 

 Lycmna {Cyaniris) argiolus, L. (Polyommatus) bellargus, Nemeobius lucina, and 

 Thecla[Callophrys) rubi were out. This year L. argiolus seems to have been 

 more plentiful than ever — it was everywhere. I noticed several specimens 

 of the second brood, which I do not remember having done before. June 

 brought (inter alia) Zonosoma omicronaria, Bapta temerata, B. bitnaculata 

 (taminata), Minoa murinata [euphorbiata], Ligdia adustata, Euclidia mi, 

 E. glyphica. A couple of Dianthoscia albimacula were taken flying at 

 Silene nutans, One turned out to be a female, and I obtained a few ova ; 

 they duly hatched, and were fed on bladder-campion, and all went, as 

 I thought, well. On turning them out, however, I found but two pupae and 

 a fat larva, while another pupa was partly eaten. I think these larvae must be 

 cannibals. Larvae of Porthesia chrysorrhcea were in large numbers, along 

 with a few Diloba ccBruleocephala, on the whitethorn hedges. LyccBna 

 [Cupido) minima was to be taken plentifully up by the convict prison, and 

 one could obtain perfect specimens when the sun was down as they sat on 

 the grass. One ov two Chcerocampa porcellus were also taken on the cliff 

 by the prison. In July I made two excursions for Aporia cratagi ; on the 

 first occasion I saw none, and, in fact, there seemed scarcely any insect-life 

 about in the cratayi locality. On my second visit things were almost as 

 bad, for I only took one cratagi, and that such a poor ragged female that I 

 let her go again. I believe a few specimens have been taken this year, but 

 they are certainly getting scarcer year by year. It seems very strange that 

 in 1896 this insect should have been so plentiful — it was in scores — and 

 nobody be able to throw any light as to the cause of this profusion. If the 

 insect has been planted in this neighbourhood, as some seem to think, why 

 does not the man who did so come forward, and let us have particulars ? 

 Anyhow, the species is evidently dying out, and will soon need replenishing 

 with a fresh stock. Will it be forthcoming? In August I took a few 

 Colias hyale and C. edusa. They were to be taken on the downs, and in 

 almost any clover-field round here, along with a few Pyrameis cardui. 

 Hyale was the more plentiful, and varied considerably ; but neither edusa 

 nor hyale could be said to occur abundantly. I have not heard that the var. 

 helice has been taken here. Some Eremobia ochroleuca on the heads of 

 " ragged jack " (knapweed), and several Aspilates citraria and A. gilvaria 

 on the downs completed my August captures. In October the ivy had its 

 usual visitors, including Orthosia macilenta, Anchocelis pistacina, Cerastis 

 vaccina, C. spadiccB, Xanthia ferruginea, &c. A nice male Himera pennaria 

 on a gas-lamp on the 26th, and a Caradrina quadripunctata on the 3rd 

 inst., with an Agrotis suffusa on the 8th, complete my season's captures. 

 The list is rather a poor one, owing to my time for collecting having been 

 very limited. I should judge from what I can gather from local collectors 

 that the season has been one of the best. — H. Douglas Stockwell; 

 2, Albert Road, Dover, Nov. 24th, 1900. 



