110 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 



Vanessa atalanta. — During the first three weeks of February, 1907, 

 V. atalanta made its appearance several times in a school-yard here. 

 It flew vigorously during what sunshine there was, and kept to the 

 sunny side of walls, opening and closing its wings while basking. 

 This insect disappeared during a spell of frosty weather, and its 

 retreat could not be discovered. On December 2nd, 1906, I saw 

 V. atalanta several times, and again, on December 15th, I saw a speci- 

 men fly over a cliff-side. — G. Randell ; Seacombe, The Parade, Barry, 

 Glamorganshire. 



Blatta orientalis out of doors. — Mr. W. Daws, of Mansfield, 

 tells me that on March 29th, 1907, he took a female B. orientalis in a 

 garden at a distance from any house, in a heap of garden refuse. It 

 was very stupefied, and did not attempt to escape. — W. J. Lucas ; 

 28, Knights Park, Kingston-on-Thames. 



Variety of Brephos parthenias. — While collecting at Easter in 

 Epping Forest, I was pleased to obtain a very pale straw-coloured 

 example of B. parthenias, this being the first one I have seen of that 

 colour. — C. H. Williams ; 36, Dartmouth Street, S.W. 



Notes from the North-West for 1906. — My first field- day was 

 on February 17th, the locality Delamere Forest. The purpose of the 

 visit was to see if the scarcity of Hybernia leucophcearia, so noticeable 

 in my experience since February and March, 1892, was still main- 

 tained. It was, for I only saw one moth, a male H. marginaria = 

 progemmaria. The same lament applies to other spring Delamere 

 species, as Nyssia hispidaria (which I have not seen since March, 

 1901) and Anisopteryx mscularia. Phigalia pedaria — pilosaria is about 

 the only moth now which keeps up the ancient spring reputation 

 of Delamere Forest. And this evident scarcity is not explained by 

 tree-felling, for the scene of my observations on February 17th was 

 the same as that of February 13tb, 1892, when I picked off the 

 oak trunks a long series of H. leucophaaria, including many melanic 

 specimens. Nor has the scene, I believe, lost a single tree since then. 

 I have taken melanic females of P. pedaria in Delamere Forest, but 

 the only melanic male (almost black and unicolorous) I possess I 

 captured at a Chester gas lamp. The unicolorous melanic form of 

 H. marginaria is not only frequent at Delamere but 'throughout the 

 Chester district. 



I have little worthy of special record until I come to tbe month of 

 June. That pretty silvery- white geometer, Lobophora lobulata, with 

 its distinctive transverse lines, was common in the Forest in the 

 month of April. At the Chester electric lamps I took a fresh and fine 

 Taniocampa opima in the same month (April 22nd). This species is 

 only recorded in our district list for Wallasey and Llandudno ; there- 

 fore my capture supplies a missing geographical link. About the 

 middle of May I obtained two fine melanic specimens — almost black — 

 of Tephrosia biundularia at Delamere. In fact, the Chester district can 

 fairly claim to be a melanic centre. I do not remember such a June 

 for low temperature and absence of brigbt sunlight. Occasionally 



