NOTES ON COLLECTING. 81 



females I have recently seen from this locality were all inaria. The 

 facts of its distribution, combined with a knowledge of the position of 

 the ship, ought to enable us to judge of the coast from which the 

 specimens found migrated with tolerable accuracy.- — E. B. Poulton, 

 M.A., F.E.S., Oxford. 



:]@^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Distribution of Sympetrum sanguineum in Britain. — Eef erring to 

 your note (ante vol. xi., p. 232) on the distribution of 8. sanguineum, 

 there is no doubt that this species is a native of Britain, and occurs com- 

 monly every year in the Wicken Fen ditches, and when we were at 

 Deal it was abundant in the broad ditch crossing the sandhills. — G. T. 

 Porritt, F.L.S., F.E.S., Crosland Hall, Huddersfield. 



Larv^ of Peoutia betulina full-fed in November. — Between 

 November 12th and 26th I found near here 58 cases of Proutia betulina. 

 I at first thought them to be merely empty cases, but they nearly all 

 contain apparently adult larvae. They will, I hope, survive the winter. 

 — F. G. Whittle, Southend. 



AcHERONTiA ATROPOS IN EssEx. — A brother entomologist living near 

 Southend tells me that more than 100 pupae of Aclm-ontia atropos were 

 taken to him by potato-diggers during the last autumn (1899). — Ibid. 

 Agheeontia atropos in Norfolk. — I, too, can report the occurrence 

 of larvae of Aclierontia atropos in this part of Norfolk in some numbers 

 last season. The first larva was brought to me July 24th, 1899, and 

 produced a fine imago under natural conditions on September 20th. 

 Another was brought on July 28th, three others came in during 

 August, and are going over. I have heard of the finding of other 

 larvae in this neighbourhood, Avhich, however, failed to reach me. — 

 E. A. Atmoee, F.E.S., King's Lynn. 



SmEEINTHUS POPULI in WESTERN ScOTLAND, WITH SOME NOTES ON ITS 



Habits. — I have recently been re-reading Mr. Bacot's paper on " The 

 genus Siiierinthus," in vol. ii. of the Knt. Pwcord, pp. 173-181. The 

 author of the paper there quotes Barrett as stating that Smerintlius 

 popnli is not found in the west of Scotland. I have repeatedly taken 

 larvae in Buteshire — the Isle of Arran, also at Bridge-of-Weir in 

 Renfrewshire. The last date for the former locality being August, 1899, 

 and for the latter locality August, 1896. I have taken the moth 

 flying heavily along a roadside at dusk. Its flight is slow and laboured 

 and closely resembles that of Aclierontia atropos which I frequently saw 

 on the wing in India some years ago. It is strange that the larva of 

 S. pjopuli, although it burrows when full-fed, generally comes to the 

 surface in captivity before it turns, however much earth is given it. — 

 H. C. Aebuthnott, Downside, Otley Road, Harrogate. Fehruary 10th, 

 1900. 



Egg-laying of Maceoglossa fuciformis (the honeysuckle bee- 

 hawk). — M. fuciformis is said to oviposit on the wing, vide, Buckler's 

 Larva, &c., vol. i., p. 121. I once, however, got the moth to lay in 

 captivity, although, on that occasion it had spent some time in a 

 killing-bottle and was believed to be dead when taken out. The two 

 eggs subsequently laid were fertile and produced healthy larvae. — Ibid. 



Butterflies around Lucerne in late August. — The following 

 list of butterflies taken in the neighbourhood of Lucerne during the 

 last week of August and the first week of September, 1899, may be of 



