ENTOMOLOGICAL SCRAPS FROM A LEPIDOPTERISt's NOTE-BOOK. 93 



A hasty attention to the inner man, a rapid extrication of entomological 

 outfit and we were off for our first exploration. No Erehia aethiops 

 (blandina) and a sunny day ! Nothing but a few Hypsipetes sordidata 

 and Eupithecia tenuiata. In the evening too, nothing to fill a collector 

 with enthusiasm ; Leucania impura, L. litharcjyria, Charaeas graminis 

 and other commoners with Eupithecias, including E. ab. oxydata at 

 flowers ; and, at sugar, more commoners in Xylophasia monoglypha, 

 Triphaena pronuba, Aparnea didynia, Noctua baia, Graphiphora augur, 

 Aplecta nebidosa, and Miana strigilis. Still these were in plenty, and, 

 in this particular, it was scarcely like the experiences of 1902 on the 

 same ground, when my friend and I were delighted to take, on one 

 memorable night, Aparnea didyma, (jrvaphiphora augur and two Xylo- 

 phasia monoglypha — the best evening in three weeks' stay as far as 

 sugar went. 



But, in 1902, from August 5th to August 22nd, Pluda bractea was 

 plentiful at flowers ; these scraps will not record a single P. bractea in 

 1905 (July 28th to August 25th). Forres is an exceptionally exasperat- 

 ing place, judging from my own experience and that of friends better 

 qualified to speak than I am ; still it has occasional pleasant surprises. 

 What one expects is seldom taken, but something else turns up to gladden 

 the eye. By-the-bye, sober Scotchmen will advise one not to go to 

 Scotland in odd years for certain insects, or in even years for others. 

 Southerners seem to find collecting at Forres usually odd ; but, in my 

 very different experiences in 1902 and 1905, the Scot may well see 

 a corroboration of his even and odd idea. 



Other collectors had been to Forres and apparently gone away dis- 

 appointed. What shall I do? Shall I slip back to the far south? The 

 morning of the 29th, when a cycle ride to the Culbin Sands gave 

 me nothing but one black Aparnea didyma with Charaeas graminis 

 hanging intoxicated on the roadside ragwort was not promising. I had 

 hoped to disturb Triphaena subsequa and Actebia praecox h'om the clumps 

 of overhanging marram grass on the sandhills, but saw neither, though 

 several visits were made. I wonder if there are more extensive sand- 

 hills than these round our coasts. I have seen none. Particularly 

 weird they are too ; by optical delusion they appear much higher than 

 they really are, while a flock of sea-gulls settled provoked the expression 

 of surprise, " What are those horses and humans doing in this out-of-the- 

 world spot ? " The nervous man and the man of imagination who knows 

 the tales of these hills should not alone venture to cross them by night. 

 Still on several nights (August lst-15th) the rush-blossom down in the 

 hollows furnished me with a goodly number of fresh Agrotis ciirsoria, A. 

 tritici, and A. vestigialis {yalligera) in fine variety, while sugar on August 

 15th, at the edge of the sandhills, produced Cosmia paleacea, Noctua dahlii, 

 Dyschorista suspecta, etc. The cycle was my sole companion on most of 

 these visits, five miles' lonely walk after a hard night's work not being 

 sufficiently alluring. The cycle is a great acquisition at Forres. 



Sugar at Forres on the 29th attracted my first Noctua depuncta (I 

 began to think Forres would suit me) and in increasing numbers this 

 insect came till I find, under date August 23rd, " N. depuncta present in 

 abundance, though many now getting worn." Leucama conigera was 

 on, and so were L. impura, L. pallens, Aparnea didyma, Noctua 

 xanthographa (fine black forms), GraphipJwra augur, Xylophasia 

 monoglypha, Triphaena pronuba, T. ianthina, and other pests which 



