NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 205 



on July 14th of that year (Entom. xl. p. 213). This was followed by 

 other records of the species from the same district, also from Thornton 

 Heath and from Kingston (Entom. xl. p. 237). I have now to put 

 on record the capture of two specimens at Brondesbury. The 

 moths, which were captured by Mr. Alec Urquhart, flew to the 

 electric light in one of the lower rooms here at about 11 p.m. on 

 June 18th last. — Eichard South ; 4, Mapesbury Court, Shoot-up- 

 Hill, Brondesbury, N.W. 



AcHERONTiA ATROPOS IN Kent. — I had a male specimen of 

 A. atropos brought to me on June 15th ult. It was flying, about 

 9.40 in the morning, and was knocked down by the captor, conse- 

 quently it is somewhat rubbed. — Percy Eichards ; Seabrook, Hythe. 



Plutella maculipennis (cruciferarum) Abundant. — P. cruci- 

 feraritm is a veritable nuisance just now. It occurs everywhere in 

 this district in thousands. I wonder if this abundance of the species 

 is general throughout the South of England ? — Percy Eichards ; 

 Seabrook, Hythe, June 17th, 1914. 



[When in Scarborough recently I noted P. maculipennis in some 

 numbers on the cliffs on June 9th and 10th, but on the moors above 

 Goathland on June 11th the species was exceedingly common. — 

 E. S.] 



Lythria purpuraria. — While examining recently a small col- 

 lection of unnamed Lepidoptera, made by a schoolboy at Meads, 

 near Eastbourne, in the years 1902-3, I was astonished to find 

 amongst them a specimen of Lythria purpuraria. It is not quite 

 typical, having the dark cross-bars very broad, as well as being under 

 the normal size. With the exception of the L. purpuraria, all the 

 specimens are of very common species ; all are pinned with large 

 white English pins, and " set " in the usual schoolboy style, and all 

 are in very bad condition. Under the circumstances, I cannot but 

 regard the specimen as a genuine British example of this species. 

 It is now in the possession of a son of Dr. Eowland, of Lichfield, to 

 whom the collection was given by the captor — a son of Dr. Homan, 

 also of this city.— L. A. Carr ; Lichfield, May 29th, 1914. 



Zyg^na transalpina, Esp., var. — I think it may be worth while to 

 record the capture, on August 4th last, of a variety — or aberration — 

 of Zygcena transalpma, Esp., to which I can find no parallel noticed 

 in any works that I have been able to consult. There is no 

 similar specimen in the collections in South Kensington or in 

 Oxford. The distinguishing feature consists in the absence of the 

 lower of the two usual red spots of the central group on the fore 

 wings. (The absence of one of the outer group of spots appears to 

 be not very infrequent in allied species, though I do not remember 

 having seen any such variety of transalpina.) The specimen, which 

 is a male, was taken on the shores of the Oeschinen-See (about one- 

 and-a-half hour's walk from Kandersteg) ; and as I did not notice its 

 peculiarity at the time, and Zygtenas were swarming, I did not 

 work for more. I was for some time uncertain to which species to 

 assign it, but inclined towards transalpina, and this identification 



