52 Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union: Annual Report, 1910. 
Butterflies appear to have been more than usually scarce, 
and that is saying a good deal for a county, where they are, at 
best, so poorly represented and sparingly distributed. In spite 
of this one or two interesting species have occurred, notably, 
Thecla quercus recorded for Rossington by Mr. Corbett; and 
V. polychlorus from Keighley district, where it was found by 
Mr. R. Butterfield. The white butterflies have again been plenti- 
ful, though we have not had anything like such a swarm as last 
year, either in the perfect or larval states. The Vanessas have 
once again attracted attention and comment by their absence ; 
it is now some four or five years since we have had a season which 
has been suitable for them, and during this time they appear to 
have been steadily decreasing in numbers. Probably many of 
them will now remain scarce, not only until more favourable 
climatic conditions return, but also until their numbers have been 
augmented by another “‘ immigration ”’ season. 
In contrast to the two last years, when “ sugaring’”’ has com- 
menced unprofitably but has shown increasingly better results 
until late autumn, this season the early “ sugaring ‘’ was the best, 
though nowhere in the county, and at no time, could it have been 
called good. As the season advanced, it became more and more 
useless, until by the time autumn came, in spite of a prolonged 
spell of fine open weather, this method of collecting was so un- 
productive as to prove positively depressing to the would-be 
‘“collector.”? One correspondent writes that even polyodon and 
pronuba have gladdened his heart. Personally very little has 
fallen to my lot, for I have “sugared”’ eight times during the 
year, and only seen one solitary pronuba the whole time! Mr. 
Smith, of York, appears to have been most successful with the 
early autumn “ sugaring,”’ and informs me that he took E. fulvago 
in some numbers by this means of collecting. Probably the most 
interesting species taken in this way were four A. alnt (one 
showing decided traces of melanism), in Haw Park, near 
Wakefield, by Mr. Bunce; and one specimen of A. occulta taken 
near Skelmanthorpe, by Mr. T. Fisher. 
A. ulmata was observed in unusual abundance at Sledmere, by 
Mr. Smith, and near Scarborough, by Mr. Rowntree. 
Mr. Morley and Mr. Dyson, working the Skelmanthorpe 
district, have noticed larve of B. repandata, in unusual abundance, 
and these have resulted in very dark imagines. WD. templi were 
exceedingly common, both in larval and perfect states. Larve 
of T. variata from Dunford Bridge, when reared, proved to belong 
toa fine black race. A strikingly melanic specimen of A. Uasilinea 
was taken in Haw Park by Mr. Morley. 
A specimen of C. munitata was taken by Mr. H. Dyson on the 
moors, near Skelmanthorpe, whilst others were found on the moors 
near to Huddersfield by Mr. Mosley, who saw them in some 
numbers. 
Naturalist, 
