NOTBS ON COLLECTING. 53 



refused. A visit to Knightsford Bridge the next day gave us a fine 

 Gonepteryx rhatnni ; we only saw one other during our stay. On 

 August 12th Anaitis plagiata occurred in a wood, and on the 16th, 

 while passing a large ash tree, I saw what I thought was a curious 

 thickening of the petiolc of one of the leaves. A second later the 

 cause of this appearance was revealed. The swellings on the petiole 

 were the prolegs of a fine larva of Sphinx ligustri, which was other- 

 wise hidden by the leaflets. It was of a greyer green than the usual 

 specimens one finds on privet. Fohjommatus icarus, Faranje megaera, 

 and Ejnnephele tithonus were abundant in the district, Satyrus semele 

 locally so, Aylais urticae not numerous, Vanessa io so scarce that only 

 one was seen. Pyrameis cardtii was not seen at all, while P. atalanta 

 was everywhere, from the plains to the summit of the Worcestershire 

 Beacon. It was a fine sight to see them flashing up or down the hill 

 sides. Macroylossa stellatariim on fine days was well in evidence. On 

 dull days I saw them sitting on the rocks on three or four occasions, 

 but it required a quick hand to box them. — Alfbed Sich, F.E.S., 

 65, Barrowgate Road, Chiswick. November SOth, 1899. 



Larva of Aciptilia pentadactyla. — On June 23rd last I was turn- 

 ing up leaves of Tussilago far/am in the hope of finding larvae of 

 Vlatyptilia gonodactyla, in a place here where that species occurs. On 

 the underside of one leaf I did find a plume larva just spun up, and 

 concluded that I had got the desired Pterophorid. It disappointed me, 

 however, by producing on July 7th the much more abundant Aciptilia 

 pentadactyla. The larva had doubtless wandered from some neigh- 

 bouring convolvulus. — Ibid. 



Pykameis atalanta in January. — The 9th of January was very 

 warm and sunny, and I saw a beautiful specimen of F. atalanta flying 

 around and settling upon a haystack in my orchard. It seems 

 unusually early for the insect to leave its winter quarters. — J. Mason, 

 Clevedon Court Lodge, Somerset. 



Vanessids in Somerset. — It was remarkable that I did not see a 

 single specimen of Vanessa io last year (1899) ; Fyrameis atalanta was 

 plentiful, but the specimens small ; P. cardid occurred sparingly, and 

 Aglais iirticae was less abundant than usual. — Ibid, 



Acherontla atropos and Sphinx convolvuli in Somerset. — Last 

 autumn, pupae of Acherontia atropos were fairly common, and an 

 autumnal imago with crippled wings was brought me. A few SjyhiniV 

 convolvuli were taken in the neighbourhood, although I saw none. — 

 Ibid. 



Macroglossa stellatarum attracted by colour. — Macroglosaa 

 stellatariim was the insect of the season last year. It was not uncom- 

 mon to see three or four specimens at one time at one geranium plant. 

 I had some orchids in bloom during the time the insect was out, the 

 flowers (rosy-purple in colour) within a foot or eighteen inches from 

 the glass of the roof, and it was no uncommon thing to see the moths 

 flying backwards and forwards outside just over the flowers, evidently 

 attracted by the colour, as it was impossible for any scent to escape, 

 in fact, the particular species in bloom has no scent. — Ibid. 



Pararge egeria, etc., in Bucks. — After reading the note (ante, p. 

 25) I thought it might be interesting to mention the capture 

 of two specimens of Fararge egeria in a beech wood lying between 

 Penn and High Wycombe, Bucks. After spending three hours there. 



