NOTES ON COLLECTING. ' 169 



found a nest of some Phycitid on a young Turkey Oak. Nearly the 

 whole bush was rolled into balls of leaves. A few pupse were taken. 

 On the way out of the wood a stem of Hi/periciini was gathered con- 

 taining seven mines of Nepticiila septeinbrella. This species also occurs 

 at Pope's Lane, on Combe Down, Somerset. In l)oth counties this 

 day Tortruv viridana and A. conirayana were continually gettmg into 

 the net, while Prays ciirtiselliis was not rare, both of the type and var. 

 ruHtka. The next day was devoted to "Jupiter pluvius," and I only 

 saw Lozotaenia unifasciana. The following daj'' being fairly sunny a 

 few things had come out to dry themselves, and among others, sitting 

 on the leave:^ in the hedges at Combe Down, were noticed several 

 Sericoris lacunana, Cnephasia incertana, and one Nutucelia (Aspis) 

 uchiianniana. June 26th was fairly fine, so Bathford was tried again. 

 The down was a beautiful sight, large patches of Heliantheiiniiu and 

 Lotus carnlculatHs in full blossom, with graceful tufts of Avena pratensis 

 growing along the rough track. Very little, however, was on the wing. 

 I swept several net-fulls of flies and beetles and then was astonished to 

 see a clearwing in the net. It proved to be Sesia ichneuiiumifunnis, in , 

 good condition, afterwards I took one Scj/thris fnscociipyea. The 

 burnets, of which 1 had previously seen many larvae and pupje, were 

 just appearing, and three Zyyaena Umicerae were noticed. Here and 

 there one came across a number of the larvae of Hipocrita jacabaeae and 

 the sparse remains of a ragwort plant almost eaten to the roots. 

 Numbers of these caterpillars mnst starve. To the left of the down is 

 a wood, and some spruce firs with one or two Scotch pines and larches 

 overhang the wall that encloses. Shaking these into the net I obtained 

 some Tortricids and a few Batrachedra 'pinicolella. These look very 

 like a fragment of brown pine needle when, with closed wings, they sit 

 in' the bottom of the net. One Blastotere also fell into the net, and 

 this I think is B. ylabratella, but it is still on the setting board. The 

 next day, along the canal near Bath, Ceiuiostovia scitella wa,s boxed and 

 some mines and pupge of Acroiepia granitella were found on Inula, close 

 to the water. This will nearly close my June observations, and though 

 most of the species mentioned are quite common, I have noted them 

 because I do not remember ever reading any account of the Lepidoptera 

 of this district. Stainton constantly mentions Bristol in the Manual, 

 but Bath seems to have escaped the attention of the entomologist, nor 

 have I come across anyone with a net here. After the last few years, 

 when even common things have been less numerous than formerly, it 

 is pleasant to see them in some abundance, and it is always an agree- 

 able experience to become acquainted in the field with species one has 

 previously only collected in the neighbourhood of Covent Garden. 

 Getting them there, however, is of great use, as it enables one to 

 recognise them when one happily meets them for the first time alive. — 

 Alfred Sigh. June 29t/t, 1917. 



Notes on Entomology, etc., in England in 1917. — The following 

 notes were written as I had opportunity amidst the vicissitudes of 

 camp life during the great war, in the neighbourhood of the Aisne 

 Barracks, Blackdown Camp, Hampshire. 



At first sight the country around here seems rather forbidding for 

 general Entomology as it is mainly covered by fir and pine trees with 

 large masses of heather, much of which more or less recently has been 

 burnt. There is also a certain amount of bog-land. The rest consists 



