266 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



noticed a good number flying among the flowers — there were 

 none about a day or two earher. There were a lot of fresh 

 Vajiessa urticcB and Chrysophanus pJdceas and another brood of 

 Acidalia incanaria. I fancy there is a succession of broods of 

 this little species in warm, dry summers. 



On the 2nd I took three more P. cardui on flowers of sea- 

 aster — two were good, the other torn. The larvae of Euclidia mi 

 were now full-grown on seeds of coarse grasses ; they are some- 

 times easy to see when stretched out to their full length on a 

 stem, but are best obtained by sweeping. 



On the 3rd the larvae of C. phlceas that hatched out on the 

 16th of last month were now spinning up. Amathes litura was 

 bred. 



On the 4th I sugared on the coast, where Noctaa xantho- 

 (jrapha was in such countless numbers it drove everything else 

 "off. The other species present were the same as noted on 

 previous nights, with the addition of two Agrotls vestigialis, one 

 of which is the smallest example of this species I have ever 

 met with. 



On the 5th I saw six, and netted five, P. cardui ; also saw 

 three P. atalanta, the first noticed this year. C. phlcBas was out 

 in large numbers. 



The 6th was a bright hot duy. I visited some lucerne fields. 

 Saw three P. cardui and netted two, also two fresh V. io. This 

 butterfly has been very scarce this year, though it swarmed last 

 season. I noticed a small white Noctua flying among the lucerne 

 flowers, and upon netting it found it was a very small L. pallens. 

 From fleabane I beat a very small Ebulea crocealis, evidently 

 one of a second brood. 



On the 7th a large male Sphinx convolvuli, which had been 

 taken in one of the machine shops at Parkeston, was brought to 

 me, but it was too much damaged to be of any use. I saw three, 

 and captured one P. cardui on the salterns on flowers of sea- 

 aster, also one P. atalanta, a very worn specimen. C. jMceas 

 was very numerous on the aster flowers ; I always examine them 

 carefully on the chance of a variety, and got a nice dark 

 ab. eleus. [The female Dasychira pudibunda which I took on 

 May 27th laid a lot of eggs ; these I sleeved out in the wood on 

 June 2nd, and upon examining the larvae on June 27th found 

 them very small, and brought about a dozen home. On July 31st 

 I examined the sleeve again, and found the larvfe were still very 

 small, and nearly all the leaves were eaten, so I brought them 

 home, and they were still feeding on Sept. 7th — some nearly full- 

 grown while others were small. How many times does this 

 larva change its skin? they seem to be always doing it.] I 

 visited the woods this evening ; it was still and close with a 

 bright moon and heavy dew and a slight ground fog in the 

 valleys. A good many common species visited the sugar, also 



