NOTES ON COLLECTING. 249 



to be common here just now, and I am repenting not having taken my 

 holiday later, but I had hoped to get Diauthoecia var. harrettii. — R. 

 "Fkeee, M.D., F.E.S., Rugeley, Staffs. Jidi/ 2dth, 1900. 



Lepidoptera in Yorkshire. — I have just returned from the neigh- 

 bourhood of Ingieborough , Yorks, where I have been for a short 

 holiday, but have not much to report. The weather was very dull and 

 cold for the greater part of the time (.Time 30th to July 11th) and butter- 

 flies conspicuous by their absence. The nettles everywhere — even high on 

 the moors — were black with larvae of Af/lais nrticae, and one or two worn 

 specimens were seerL on the wing. I had fair sport over beds of nettles 

 at night, and took a nice series of Hahrostola triplasia, Xylophasia rurea 

 (typical form) Apamea f/eiiiina, and Hepialns velleda, in nice variety, 

 at dusk. Pyrausta purpuralia were in fine condition near the top of 

 Ingieborough, and two 5 Xemeophila plcnitaiiinis were taken at rest. 

 Larentia caesiata were abundant on the rocks and variable. A few 

 specimens of Nudaria mnndana were taken from walls near Malham. 

 On June 8th, 17th, and 21st, I bred Smerinthus ocellatns, fed on crab 

 (Chilwell), whilst on July 22nd and several following days Macror/lossa 

 stellatarnm has been flying in my garden — a very early date for it 

 here. I may mention that I took a number of larv^ of Lcmocampa 

 var. ccdlimae from the heather at Ribblehead, which are now feeding 

 lip on plum. — D. H. Pearson, Chilwell, Notts. July 27th, 1900. 



Lepidoptera in the Southend district, 1900. — I cannot at present 

 give my full list to date, but I have pleasure in contributing a few 

 notes on the best insects observed. Porthesia chrysorrhoea : At Great 

 Wakering, on May 13th, I found a nest of young larvae on blackthorn. 

 The moths emerged as follows : July 26th, 4 <? s, 1 ? ; July 27th, 2 ^ s, 

 1 ? ; July 28th," 16 <? s, 12 ? s ; July 29th, ^^b, 24 ? s ; July 30th, 

 8 5" s, 6 ?'s ; July 31st, 3 <? s, 2 ? s ; August 1st, 1 <? , 1 ? ; August 2nd, 

 4 2 s; August 6th, 1 ^ , 1 $ ; August 10th, 1 ? , and on August 23rd, 

 1 5 . In all 44 <y s and 54 ? s. It is as long ago as June, 1876, that 

 I last saw larvae of this species. They were then abundant on 

 hawthorn near the Canterbury Eoad close to the village of Heme. 

 tSefiia ic/ineumojiiforims : This insect is reputed common in the South- 

 end district. Being desirous of removing the reproach of not 

 possessing an Essex specimen, I swept the Lotus on the slopes near 

 here almost daily in July, until the eighth of the month, when I took 

 my first ; July 10th, another ; July 13th, three. In sweeping for this 

 Sesiid I was fortunate in getting several larvfe of Ercmohia ockroleuca 

 which I knew directly, having so often looked at the excellent figure 

 in Buckler, vol. vi., plate 87, fig. 1. The moths emerged between July 

 25th and August 14th. ( 'ucullia aateris came out Avell between July 

 12th and August 3rd, I feared that I had made a serious mistake in 

 not exposing the pups to the weather (having kept them in the green- 

 house all the winter) ; but I think from the number bred that every 

 pupa must have yielded its moth. Sjnlodes paleaUs emerged July 17th- 

 August 16th. Several taken in bred condition July 16th-25th. There 

 is considerable variation in the darkening of the nervures at lower outer 

 edge of cell, in a few specimens the interspaces are very dark the 

 whole forming a blotch. Adult larvfe were found this year on July 29th, 

 several of them showing the purplish colour described by Mr. Porritt 

 Entomologist, vol. xii., p. 18. Mr. Herbert Williams, of Southend, 

 obtained a few larvae last year, but not breeding any moths opened a 



