NOTES ON COLLECTING, 105 



though it will be well remembered for the long spell of magnificent 

 weather, was preceded by a spring cold and wet, when little could be 

 accomplished by the lepidopterist. P/ii(/alia pedaria and Huhernia 

 marfiinaria appeared about their usual date, however, as on February 

 25tli I picked up both in Cadder Wilderness, and on March 4th, from 

 several <? s of the latter, I obtained a beautiful very dark almost melanic 

 aberration at Johnstone. This dark form is not uncommon in the 

 Paisley district. Larentia )iniltiiitri(iaria was out on March 11th, a fine 

 specimen being taken from a wall at Milngavie. On the 15th, the 

 first specimen of Kupithecia helvetica ria emerged in my breeding cage, 

 and continued to come out intermittently till May 12th, the majority 

 of the specimens being of var. areetithata. On May 18th I obtained 

 Tepltroma bistortata at rest, on a larch in Glen Falloch, it being the 

 only species of lepidoptera observed that day, as rain fell almost 

 incessantly, and a bitterly cold wind was sweeping down the glen. 

 Mr. Anderson Fergusson and I found, to our discomfort, that we Avere 

 stranded there for the whole day, there being no return train till the 

 evening. We, however, laboured away through all the rain, in search 

 of Coleoptera and were very successful, but we were pretty specimens 

 on reaching home. On June 10th I went to Arrochar for Scojnda 

 dec rep i talis, it was, however, disappointingly scarce, as only some seven 

 or eight fell to the net. I should have obtained many more, but the 

 wind being high they were carried out of reach before I could strike, 

 and an outflanking movement was quite out of the question, owing to 

 the huge boulders and deep brackens scattered over the portion of the 

 hillside on which I was collecting. Several Melcmippe tristata, Coremia 

 spadicearia, and Fanat/ra petraiia were taken, and a single type of 

 Eupithecia scabiosata, but the capture of the day was a fine aberration 

 of Brenthia selene. The specimen is unusually dark on the upper 

 surface, while on the underside, around the transverse series of spots 

 parallel to the hind margin of the posterior wing, there is a suffusion 

 of black scales, which almost entirely obliterates the spots, with the 

 exception of the two central ones placed in the yellow area, these black 

 scales are also repeated at the apex of the anterior wings. An after- 

 noon at Gourock, on the 17th, produced Larentia salicata, Eupjitliecia 

 satyrata var. ccdlunaria, E. 7ianata, Mixodia schulziana, and Dicrorain.pha 

 herbosana in some nurubers. On the 24th I was at Lamington, but 

 the only lepidoptera seen in abundance were the Pierids and Coenon- 

 ympha pampliilus. An evening at Crookstow, on July 7th, found Plusia 

 festitcae, Apainea banlinea, and Heinalnn velleda common, and a single 

 specimen of Eupithecia pi/r/maeata ; on the 8th, Sat>/i-iis semele, and 

 Poli/onimatns icarus Avere out in abundance at Irvine, and a single 

 specimen of Anerastia lotella was captured. My holidays were spent 

 at Barr village, south Ayrshire, during the last fortnight of July. The 

 weather throughout was excessively hot, leaden grey skies and the 

 atmosphere very fiery. Insects are like human beings, I think, and in 

 weather of this nature they apparently have no inclination to exert 

 themselves. I never saw the Rhopalocera so abundant before, 

 however. In the moist hollows on the parched and dry hillsides, 

 Polyoinmattis icarus, Pieris napi, and Epinejyhele janira, Avhen disturbed, 

 would flutter out from amongst the rushes literally in dozens. P. 

 napi imevested. me most, as I am ahvays on the look out for aberrations. 

 I obtained one ? with the yellow of the underside of a decidedly 



