62 



Noctuae were better represented, Polia xanthornista, P. tiavicincta, 

 Epunda nupa, E. lichenea, Bryophila uiuralia, Aporophyla anstralis 

 and its var. iiujenua, Noctiia ylareosa, &nd N. castanea, Sbinong others > 

 being taken at " sugar," while second emergences of A(/rotis 

 exclaniationis and Apaniea didynia (octilea) were met with. A single 

 example of Laphifyma exigua was taken at light, and one of 

 Plusia ni at flowers of Virginia stock. 



It was regarded as an interesting fact that the tamarisk bushes 

 {Tamarix galllca) appeared to exercise quite a soporific influence on 

 the NoctKoi, and were often quite as productive of specimens as the 

 sugar patches. The moths were found resting on the boughs, and 

 allowed themselves to be quietly boxed. 



Mr. J. Piatt Barrett remarked that in the second week of July he 

 returned from Sicily, and found London suffering from the most 

 prolonged heat-wave of modern times, which was even more 

 oppressive to him than the heat of Sicily. At once he hurried off 

 to his old haunts in East Kent, and to his great disappointment 

 found that the special species which have usually occurred there in 

 mid-July were absent. Whether they had been drowned out by 

 the excessive rains of last year (1910), or hurried over by the heat- 

 wave he could not tell ; perhaps tmie will show. Some local 

 species were out in limited numbers, but sugaring on the sandhills 

 was a failure, and as he found heavy falls of honeydew he was not 

 surprised. He consequently turned his attention to the heads of 

 marram grass {AmniopJdla arundinacea) which were very sticky ; 

 however, he had no luck there either, the few moths on the marram 

 being the most common species, such as Leiicania pallens, Ayrotis 

 tritici, etc. 



Early in August he paid a visit to Yorkshire, extending it as far 

 as Arnside, and on his way back broke his journey at St. x\nne's- 

 on-Sea, on the Lancashire coast, where he worked the sandhills 

 with even less success than in East Kent, Ayrotis tritici and A. 

 cursoria being the most frequent species met with. A friend, 

 however, very kindly supplied him with examples of Luperina 

 nickerlii var. yueneei, taken earlier in the season. 



Returning home, he spent a week-end with one of his daughters 

 at Worthing, and visited the downs. It being the middle of 

 August he hoped to get a few female specimens of Ayriades 

 ihetis (bellaryus), but not one was to be seen ; everything was dried 

 up, and Polyovi Hiatus icaras, Ccenonympha pamphihis, Epinephele 

 jnrtina (ianira), and Rumicia phlieas, generally in worn condition, 

 monopolized the downs. 



