NOTES ON COLLECTING. 59 
JOTES ON COLLECTING, Ete. 
PaLaTABILITY OF VANESSID LARVH.—On 30th April, 1919, I found 
larye, from which I subsequently bred Pyrameis (Vanessa) cardui, 
extremely abundant along the shore of the Caspian Sea at Enzeli, in 
N.W. Persia. Large numbers of female House Sparrows (Lasser 
domesticus, Subsp?) were collecting the larve and feeding their 
fledged young upon them. This seems remarkable: not only are the 
larvee covered with branched spines, but all sorts of other insects were 
certainly abundant.—P. A. Buxton (M.A., F.H.§.), 31, Grange Road, 
Cambridge. i 
Notes on coniectine in Iraty (1918 anv 1919).—December 8th, 
1918.—I returned from England to Arquata Serivia and found the 
place enveloped in a sea of fog, which was general in the whole 
district among the mountains ; the mud, too, on the churned-up roads 
reminded one again of Northern France. On the evening of 
December 10th two specimens of Cheimatobia brumata came to the 
electric light at the Villa Pisani, and proved to be in fresh condition. 
December 16th. Walking past the village of Vocemola, and 
ascending the grassy slopes amongst the vineyards opposite the village 
of Rigoroso, I found many specimens of the grasshopper E’pacromia 
thalassina, which took readily to flight when disturbed. In northern 
Italy this species is very common throughout the summer, and is 
found late into the winter, to-day’s specimens being in good condition, 
and the only insects of interest on the wing, notwithstanding the 
warmth of the sun. 
December 29th.-—Below the village of Vocemola to-day, on the hill- 
sides above the right bank of the Scvrivia, I found a fine female 
specimen of the beetle Meloé brevicollis slowly crawling amongst the 
dead leaves on the ground. In northern Italy it is rare in the plains, 
though frequeut in the higher altitudes. The four different beetles of 
the genus Meloé found in Italy, viz., M. proscarabaeus, M. violaceus, M. 
vartegatus and M. brevicollis are collected to form medicines used in 
veterinary work. Continuing my walk among the fields and vineyards 
on the hillside, | came across a specimen of the Hymenopteron Cercasia 
quadrifasciata, which collects beetles of various families and carries 
them to its own nest. Practically all plant-life appears dead, Clematis 
vitalba is every where in seed, and Rosa canina and Huonymus europaeus 
(the European spindle-tree) are in fruit. 
January 1st, 1919.—One doesn’t expect to find much stirring in 
northern Italy at this date, but to-day, just above the village of 
Vocemola, I found a specimen of the dragon-fly, Ischnura pumilio, 
which flew on to a post in the bright sunshine, and settled there just 
long enough to be netted. 
January 10th.—On the Vocemola side of the river Scrivia I found 
a specimen of Gryllus campestris busily crawling along the damp ground 
amid fresh grass. ‘The catkins of the hazel were everywhere beginning 
to be in evidence, and walking along the slopes towards the large 
fir wood I heard the well-known “ buzz” of Xylocopa violacea. Ag I 
stood motionless it settled on the trunk of a small tree quite close, and 
then entered a hole in the tree-trunk. A few minutes later another 
““buzz’’ announced that the female had arrived, and she, too, disap- 
peared in the tree. This bee seldom ventutes far from its winter 
