NOTES ON COLLECTING. 



343 



clover field in the district, of the ab. helice one only. C. hjale was 

 much rarer, I succeeded in taking eight, three $■ s, five ? s. Pijrameis 

 cardui was also more abundant than for many years, as were also P. 

 atalanta and Vanessa io, Zepltyrus qnercns and Poli/ommatus cori/don 

 were common but worn. — M. F, Hopson, Grove House, Eosslyn Hill, 

 Hampstead. Novemher 2nd, 1900. 



Lepidoptera at Hampstead. — Smerinthns popnli may be seen most 

 evenings in May and June flying around the electric arc lamps on 

 Haverstock Hill and Eosslyn Hill. They make huge circles around the 

 light, then suddenly drop with an audible smack on the roadway, when 

 they can be easily boxed. S. tiliae does not seem to be so readily 

 attracted by the lamps, but may be found at rest on trees and palings. 

 Zeuzera pi/rina literally swarmed again during the third week of June, 

 so numerous were they that numbers were picked up each night, crushed 

 bythepassingtraffic; the females, however, were extremely scarce. OiAm- 

 phidasi/sbetularia, two dark formsoccurradon June9th. Cossusluiniperda, 

 a dead elm tree on the Spaniards' Eoad yielded a large number of full- 

 fed larvae. One was found on September 11th in willow. Catocala 

 nupta was very common, and it was interesting to note its regular 

 appearance each morning, on the stuccoed east side of the house, never 

 before 9 a.m. and never after 12 (noon). Eiitricha quercifolia, young 

 larvae on willow on August 14th. Smerinthm ocellatns larvae were also 

 found on August 24th. — Ibid. 



A night's sugaring IN Monk's Wood. — On the lovely evening of 

 July 5th I set out for Monk's Wood, Huntingdonshire, on a sugaring 

 expedition, catching the 6 o'clock train from Cambridge to Huntingdon, 

 and the 7 o'clock from Huntingdon to Abbott's Eipton. I arrived at 

 " The Fox Hotel," where I had arranged to meet my friend Mr. E. H. 

 Field at 8.20 p.m. The hotel is merely a strongly built shed with a 

 board nailed on the front on which is the name painted in large red 

 letters. During my walk through the wood I observed Angerona 2:>rimaria 

 flying in great numbers, although it was broad daylight. I found Mr. 

 Field seated on a plank outside the hotel killing his captures, and 

 learned from him that this species had been flying since 7 o'clock. 

 We first of all dusked in the ridings for about forty minutes 

 and netted many species, viz., Aw/erona prunaria, Phorodesma 

 haiularia, Hemithea thijiniaria, Numeria j^idveyaria, Selenia illunaria, 

 Pericallia syrinf/aria, Ypsipetes eliitata, 2IelantJtia rubiginata, Melanfhia 

 alhicillata, C'idaria immanata, Calligenia miniata, Lithosia mesornella, 

 Cidaria pyraliata, Cidaria fulcata, Anaitis plagiata, Cahera piisaria, 

 Zonosoma ammlata, lodis lactearia, Lomaspilis marginata, Metrocampa 

 margaritaria, Larentia olirata, &c. Having retired to the hotel and 

 killed these we separated and painted our respective series of patches at 

 a considerable distance from each other, and, after a short delay, I 

 lighted my lantern, and began to box my guests. These I found in 

 large numbers, and by 11.30 p.m. I had filled all my boxes, and then 

 took my way towards my friend's patches, and found him about to 

 leave, also with full boxes. We returned to the shed, and, by the 

 flickering light of a candle, my friend chloroformed the captives and I 

 pricked them with the acid. Our captures comprised the following 

 species : — Caradrina alsines, Aplecta advena, Mamestra anceps, Noctiia 

 festiva, Noctua hrminea, Cymatoijhora ocidaris, Gonophora derasa, 

 Leucania comma, Agrotis exclamatumis^ Hadena dentina, Plusia cJmjsitis, 



