THE LEPIDOPTERA OF BERLIN. 203 



Larvse of Anchocelis helvola were also obtained, as well as one 

 solitary Lasiocampa qiiercus. The only imagines seen were 

 Larentia {Coremia) ferriigata and Thalcra putata, both common. 

 The latter was still emerging, and a nice series of fresh speci- 

 mens were boxed ; unfortunately, it seems quite impossible to 

 preserve the exquisite green tint of this species. It is perhaps 

 worth noting that this species leaves the pupa between four 

 o'clock and dusk, and are easily observed drying their wings 

 under bilberry-leaves ; they quickly lose their colour, and during 

 the forenoon only faded specimens will be seen. The eleven 

 specimens I set, in spite of the greatest care, have all somewhat 

 faded. Is there no way of preserving their colour ? 



On May 24th I went for a walk round one of the lakes in the 

 neighbourhood of Potsdam with my friend Mr. Wadzeck, and we 

 found that the spring Geometrae were commencing to get com- 

 mon, Acidalia remutata, Asthena candidata, A. luteata, Eupisteria 

 heparata, Larentia Jiuctuata, L. designata, L. ocellata, and Bapta 

 taminata all being more or less common. Sugaring in the 

 evening was fairly unproductive, Hadena geiiistce and H. oleracea, 

 Dipterygia scahriuscida, Cymatophora or, and Hypena prohosci- 

 dalis being the only visitors. 



May 31st is a day I shall never forget. My friend Herr 

 Zobel, my brother, and myself started, about 11 a.m., from 

 Spandau through the oak and pine woods to Niederneundorf. I 

 have never seen Geometrne so common, or in such variety. One 

 really did not know what to take and what to leave, and my 

 "glass tops " had to be emptied several times to make further 

 collecting possible. Amongst the bilberry, Acidalia fumata, A. 

 remutata, llialer a putata, Ematurga atomaria, Ep)ione advenaria, 

 and Larentia hastata were everywhere, and I devoted myself 

 especially to the two latter, and soon had a fine series. A small 

 Noctiia was seen dashing about, but was very difficult to capture ; 

 at length one was boxed, and it proved to be Erastria deccptaria. 

 We had originally started with the intention of visiting a locality 

 for the Hesperid Carter ocephalus sylvius, which had been added 

 to the Berlin fauna the previous year by Herr Zobel, and which 

 he had succeeded in turning up in considerable numbers during 

 the present spring. Arrived on the scene, we were disappointed 

 in only finding one worn female, it evidently being over. Other 

 butterflies were, however, well in evidence, and, besides the three 

 common whites and A. cardamines, Clirysojjhamis dorilis and C. 

 phloeas, Cyaniris argiolus, Lyccena scmiargus and L. icarus, Hes- 

 peria malvcs, Augiades comma, Argynnis selene, and hybernated 

 Vanessa io were abundant. 



We then turned our attention to a wood composed mostly of 

 oak, alder, and birch, but with a sprinkling of other trees, and 

 notably a fairly thick undergrowth of bramble, raspberry, and 

 nettles. To say that Geometrte swarmed will give really no idea 



