17 



NOTES ON THE LEPIDOPTERA OF 

 SOUTH YORKSHIRE IN 1908. 



B. MORLEY. 



The past season has been a most interesting one in the Skelman- 

 thorpe district, and, from the collector's stand-point, a great 

 improvement on the season of 1907. With certain exceptions, 

 insects have been vastly more plentiful, especially during the 

 summer months. The severe wintry weather did not seem to 

 have been very disastrous to hibernating larvae, and many had 

 commenced feeding when the arctic conditions became so very 

 pronounced in mid-April. That adversity, however, did not 

 seem to diminish their numbers much, for when spring-like 

 conditions did obtain the herbaceous feeders were very abun- 

 dant. The tree feeders did not fare so well, for seldom in our 

 experience have the larvae of Xanthia citrago, X. silago, etc. 

 been so scarce. Another exception was the larvae of Agrotis 

 agathina. This was exposed to the full blast on the high grounds 

 of its haunts, at a time when it should have been feeding, and 

 no doubt caused its numbers to be thinned considerably. 

 When ' sugaring ' was commenced in mid- June, there was 

 further proof of the herbaceous feeders having been in abun- 

 dance, as on to the middle of September ' sugar ' was seldom 

 a failure ; on favourable nights insects absolutely swarmed. 

 During 1907, on what were apparently good nights, nothing 

 much came to the patches. During this season on the other 

 hand, insects were always about on what apparently seemed to 

 be unpropitious nights, a fact that was once or twice especially 

 noteworthy. For example, the night of July i8th was miser- 

 ably cold and damp, with a north wind and an occasional 

 drizzle — a night most collectors would have voted hopeless ; and 

 yet it justified the undertaking of a fairly long journey, for in- 

 sects came to the patches freely, and useful collecting resulted. 

 During their respective times of occurrence, the following 

 were in extraordinary abundance, and though most are regarded 

 as common species, it will be of interest perhaps, to give a 

 detailed list : — Xylophasia rurea, X. polyodon, Triphcsna 

 pronuba, T. comes, Noctua augur, N. haja, N. /estiva, N. hrunnea, 

 N. c-nigrum, N. xanthographa, N. plecta, Agrotis exclamationis , 

 Mamestra brassiccs, Apamea basilinea, A. oculea, A. gemina, 

 Leucania pallens, L. impura, L. lithargyria, Miana strigilis, 

 M. fasciuncula, M. arcuosa, Euplexia lucipara. 



1909 January i. 



