160 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



nehulosa, Leucania lithargyria, Agrotis agathina, Noctua castanea, 

 Plusia interrogationis, Boarmia reimndata, Lygris jMjmlata, Entephria 

 ccBsiata, and Acidcdia fumata. A nice little colony of eighteen larvae 

 of Cirrhoedia xeramyelina, full-fed on May 14th, was the reward of 

 pulling off not more than a square foot of moss on an ash-trunk, but 

 we could not repeat this performance, dihgent search afterwards dis- 

 covering only an odd larva here and there. The species is not rare 

 in the district, ash being one of our commonest trees. Larvae of 

 Satynis semele and Gnoplios ohscnrata were found full-grown on 

 May 14th, the former on grass, the latter on half-a-dozen different 

 rock plants, of which a dwarf variety of the common ox-eye daisy 

 seemed to be preferred. Several perfect Selenia lunaria were netted 

 on the 16th, and Tephrosia creimscidaria, single-brooded only here, 

 was plentiful in the daytime on oak and larch trunks. The green 

 ova of the latter species, laid in batches, are pushed well into the 

 crevices of the bark and covered over with loose woolly-grey scales. 



Throughout May, Mr. Mallinson worked the street lamps with a 

 zeal that certainly merited reward. The illumination provided by 

 the Windermere electric current appears to be appreciated by the 

 moths if not by the residents. The reddish glow of these electric 

 lights proved so much more attractive than the brighter blaze of the 

 incandescent gas-lamps that the latter were very soon abandoned. 

 Again, the electric lights are more favourably situated at the outskirts 

 of the town, in close proximity to several well- wooded estates and 

 private gardens. Mr. Mallinson states that at this season of the 

 year it is useless to begin " lamping " before eleven o'clock, and all 

 the captures recorded below w^ere made between that hour and 

 1 a.m. Swarming each lamp-post is a necessary part of the 

 business, as all the best things rest on the dark framework of 

 the lamp, and are invisible from the ground ; so that a night's 

 work, consisting of three rounds of a mile of lamps, provides enough 

 exercise for even the most enthusiastic collector. It was a great 

 disappointment not to be able to continue the good work during the 

 summer months, and we felt very little sympathy with the economical 

 official mind that suspended the lighting of the lamps between 

 May 21st and August 1st. From May 11th to 19th Mr. Mallinson's 

 captures at these lamps included S. poimli (one), N. cliaonia (one 

 male, one female), P. dictceoidcs (common), P. tremula (one), N. trc- 

 pida (nine), N. ziczac (one), P. palpina (one), D. coryli (three), 

 H. pisi (one), S. pavonia (one female), S. menthastri (common), 

 G. hidentata var. nigra (one), E. dolobraria (one), E. silaceata (one), 

 T. dubitata (two), B. temerata (two), C. designata (two), and an 

 abundance of T. crepuscularia, L. suffumata, M. fliictuata, L. petraria, 

 S. hilunaria, and A. nigrofasciaria, the last-named species notable for 

 its large size and dark purple clouding. On the night of May 18th, 

 after a two hours' back-aching search by lamp-light on the " moss," 

 a solitary full-fed larva of Canonympha typJion was found feeding on 

 the short green spikes of Bhynchospora alba. Had we been earlier 

 I have no doubt more would have been obtained, for the insect 

 abounds in this locality. A careful examination of the Cotton-grass, 

 growing amongst the former plant, failed to discover any larvae ; but 



