222 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD, 



found on trunks, posts, and suitable places near its foodplants, whilst 

 sometimes it is to be found on warm sunny days on the wing. 



The larva of Collix sparsata is to be found in August and September 

 on Lysvuachia vuh/aris, feeding upon the blossoms and leaves and 

 hiding by day beneath the leaves, especially of plants sheltered by 

 bushes of sallow, buckthorn, etc. 



The imago of Collix sparsata is to be found in July, and is difficult 

 to obtain during the daytime, but, at dusk, in its haunts on Wicken 

 Fen, among bushes of sallow and buckthorn near its foodplant, it is 

 sometimes to be taken in the greatest profusion. 



Collective Inquiry as to Progressive Melanism in Lepidoptera. 



Summary or Evidence prepared by L. Doncaster, M.A. 

 {Continued from p. 208.) 

 Amphidasys betularia (continued). — Derby (Payne), Market 

 Drayton, Cannock Chase (Woodforde), Birmingham (Wainwright), 

 Hereford (Hutchinson), both type and black. Shropshire, 

 light prevalent, intermediates and black scarce (Newnham, 

 Hill). London district: Black occurred, 1897, still scarce (Mera, 

 Bacot, Hewitt). Farnborough, Reigate, Leatherhead, Sussex, 

 Stroud, Bristol, Marlborough, Teignmouth, black not observed 

 (Hewitt, Prideaux, Davis, Meyrick, Christy). One black, Croydon 

 1906 (Gower). On the Continent: Romsdorf (Rhenish Prussia), 

 black now prevalent, intermediates common, light scarce. The dark 

 forms appeared about 1888, and full blacks occurred from the first 

 (Haverkampf). Crefeld : Black, very rare in early eighties, in 1895-6, 

 about 50%. Varies in number from year to year. Intermediates bred 

 from black $ , in addition to type and black (Crefeld, Natvrf. Verein, 

 1895-6, p. 25). Loreley district, only type, 1897. Berlin : Black 

 appeared 1903, still very scarce (Kloos). Belgium: Intermediates 

 recorded 1886 and 1894 [Refs. given Bateson, Sd. Progress, vi., p. 

 561] . Breeding. — Brentwood : Black $ x type 3^ gave 123 type, 109 

 black (Bacot). Woodford : Type ? x black <? , gave 57 type, 47 black 

 (Main and Harrison, Pmc. Ent. Soc. Loud., 1905, p. vi). Worthing: 

 Black ? X type 3- , gave 18 type, 11 black (Fletcher. iSVe Bateson, Sci. 

 Progress, 1898, vii., p. 13). Harrison and Bacot, Trans. City Land. 

 Ent. Sac, 1905, p. 5, black 3 x type ?, gave 57 type, 60 black; 

 type 3 X black J , gave 123 type, 109 black. Lynn : Ofl'spring of 

 black pair, all black (Baker). From two black parents (3 grandparents 

 black, 4th unknow^n), about two-thirds of ofl'spring were black (Bankes, 

 Ent. Piec, vii., p. 181). Intermediates recorded in addition to type and 

 black, at Rotherham (Brooks, 1887), Essex (Williams, Proc. Ent. 

 Sac, 1898, p. xxxvi), and Crefeld. London, 1902, type 3 X black 

 2 with some white scales, gave 13 moths, all with black bodies, fore- 

 wings black, dusted with white, hindwings light (Carr). 



Venusia cambrica. — There are two distinct dark varieties of this 

 species. In South Yorkshire, an evenly smoky form, with dark hind- 

 wings, occurs ; in North Yorkshire, a form with the hindwings 

 light, the forewings suflused with black, leaving more or less con- 

 spicuous pale rays towards the outer margin. In Scotland (Gordon, 

 Home, Barrett), Ireland (Barrett), Northumberland, Durham (Rosie, 

 Robson), East Riding (Hewett), Staffordshire (Woodforde), Sussex 



