NOTES ON COLLECTING. 15 
c-album was captured. The large dark race of P. brassicae were still 
on the wing, and | saw two Catocala nupta on the rocky clefts where 
C. electa was so numerous in July and August last. Amongst the 
Orthoptera swarming in the dry river bed I took two males and a female 
of the brown autumn form of M. religiosa, and after some patience 
secured three fine Stethophyma fuscum with a number of Qidipoda 
caerulescens. In the garden I took a fine female of the dragon-fly 
Aeschna cyanea, which had been haunting it for some days, and a male 
' Gryllus sylvestris. 
September 26th.—After “the heavy thunderstorms on September 
29nd and 23rd, the Scrivia was flowing again for the first time since 
July, but after another storm on the 25th the sun came out again 
brilliantly. The recent rain brought down a good deal of water, which 
was decreasing to-day, and had left considerable deposits of mud in 
the bed of the river, around which insect life was teeming in the after- 
noon. Orthoptera rose at every step. I took three more var. helice 
and the brown form -of the Mantis, as well as a fine female U. nupta, 
on the rocky cleft. Pyrameis cardui were in scores on the hawkweed 
flowers, while Pontia daplidice was lessening in number, females J. 
lathonia were common with a few of Pararge megera. The great heat 
prevented one from doing much. 
September 80th.—In the teeth of a strong equinoctial gale this 
afternoon I roamed along the river bed, and although the water is now 
continuous, the beds of “flowers are still quite accessible. The Colias 
species were still plentiful and fresh. As the Orthoptera were in 
thousands, I was led to pay considerable attention to this group during 
‘October. 
October 2nd.— Last night some very fine dark brown, almost black, 
imagines of Xylophasia monoglypha came to the electric light. This 
‘species is usually on the wing in June and July, and those taken in 
‘October would appear to be a second emergence. It is not common 
in N. Italy. I was given a fine larva of Agrius convolvuli, which fed 
‘readily on both Convolvulus sepium and C. arvensis. This species is 
quite common in North Italy, and is on the wing in April and 
September and October. 
October 6th.—This afternoon of a perfectly still day with a bright 
sun all nature in the wide river bed was alive. The Scrivia was 
flowing in three separate streams since the recent thunderstorms, but 
I was able to ford them all by stepping-stones. Again the Orthoptera 
rose at every step, conspicuous among them being OV. caerulescens and 
Sphingonotus caerulans. P. cardut were getting worn, P. daplidice 
were abundant, C. edusa, though less numerous, was very perfect, 
mostly females, only one Mantis was noted, the large S. fuscwm rose at 
intervals, and under the C. electa clefts I took two Deiopetia pulchella 
among low plants. C.nuwpta was on the tree trunks in the outskirts of 
the wooded bottom quite plentiful, fluttering from trunk to trunk and 
settling a short distance from the ground. Just outside the wood here 
a few dragonflies were seen, and I took S. striolatwn male, and 
S. scoticum female. I had a larva of Dasychira pudibunda brought me 
to-day, which spun up immediately among the leaves of apple which it 
readily feeds upon. Just inside the first gorge near Vocemola the 
beetle Adimonia tanaceti was taken. 
October 8th.—-Despite the strong wind to-day a number of butter- 
