Field Notes. 359 



swarmed on all parts of Cannock Chase.- -H. Douglas Smart, 

 Major, R.A.M.C., Prisoner of War Hospital Brocton, Staffs, 

 October gth, iqi8. 



Cause of Coloration of P. phlaeas. — As Mr. Porritt states 

 (P- ,>.3.5^ that /'. phhieas is quite common in the Huddersfreld 

 district, I should be interested to hear whether he has found it 

 very variable in colour in the same season ? When in Devon 

 in .\ugust, 1892, I caught a dark and a light variety in the 

 same field, within a week of each other. This suggested to 

 me very strongly indeed that food supply of the caterpillar 

 was far more important in deciding the future coloration of any 

 individual specimen than the temperature is, which latter must 

 fall on all specimens in one locality, equally or almost equally. 

 I found the same A'ariation with Smerinthus (iliac caught near 

 each other and within a few days in Lee, South London, 

 between 1895 and 1901. — Frederick D. Welch, M.R.C.S. 



P. phlaeas is usually variable in the intensity of the red 

 colour, and dark suffusion on the forewings, but I have not 

 noticed more than the ordinary amount of variation here. But 

 as, not wanting the species, I did not attempt to net, or closely 

 examine, a single specimen this year, there may have been 

 more variation than I know^ of. Why should the food supply 

 be supposed to influence the colour of Dr. Welch's two speci- 

 mens when they were caught in the same field within a week of 

 each other ? — G.T.P. 



Cumberland Psyllldae. — The following list of Psylhdae 

 contains all the species I have met with in this county during 

 the past three years. Examples of each have been named 

 or verified by Mr. E. A. Butler, B.Sc. Rhinocola ericcB Curt., 

 not uncommon at Orton in July. Aphalara nehiilosa Zett., 

 Orton, swept in July. A. calfha; Linn., Orton and Stainton. 

 .4. exilis W. & M., Orton, in September, Ainstable, in May. 

 Psyllopsis fraxinicola P'orst., common, but local on Ash at 

 Carleton. P.fraxini Linn., Wreay Woods, on Ash, in August. 

 Psvlla costalis Flor., Upperby, common on Hawthorn in October. 

 P. peregrina Forst., Orton, Armathwaite, common in summer 

 on Hawthorn. P. alni Linn., common on Alders along the 

 rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. The spring form is green, 

 but man}^ dark brown or red forms occur in the autumn brood. 

 P. forsferi Flor.. Orton, Dalston, and Wreay, on Alders, fre- 

 quently with P. alni, from July to September. P. hartigii 

 Flor., Orton, on Hawthorn, in July. P. nigrita Zett., common 

 on Fir trees at Orton, etc. P. spartii Guer., on Broom, in July, 

 near Seascale. Aryt(zna genistce Latr., on Broom ; common at 

 Orton, Upperby, etc., in spring and autumn. Trioza alboventris 

 Forst., local on Willows by the river Eden in late autumn. 

 T. iirtica Linn., very common on nettles in the Carlisle dis- 

 trict. — Jas. Murray, 2 Balfour Road, Carlisle. 



1918 Nov. L. 



