74. THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD. 
were found in webs defoliating my apple trees. A @ Spilosoma lubri- 
cipeda was found at rest in the garden, and laid a batch of ova during 
the night, which hatched on June 15th. Specimens of Apatela (Acro- 
nicta) aceris were also found at rest on the trunks of some elm trees. 
On June 9th T. pronuba started emerging, and Abraxas grossulariata 
larvee were now yielding small ichneumon larve which spun the 
familiar grey cocoons with a black band round the centre. Three of 
these flies emerged on the 16th and one on the 18th June. I am 
writing these notes away from home, so cannot give their scientific 
name. On the 10th a 2 Amphidasis betularia var. doubledayaria 
emerged. I found the larva on Mountain Ash in my garden in the 
previous autumn. Agrotis segetum also started emerging. 
On June 11th I went for a walk to Shirley Hills and Addington, 
and on the way Coenonympha pamphilus and Polyommatus icarus were 
indulging in mock combats, while a Rumicia phlaeas settled on a stone 
to sun itself, and a pair of Preris brassicae were disturbed in cop, when 
the g was observed to carry the 9. Both P. brassicae and P. rapae 
were in abundance, and busily engaged in making love in the hot sun- 
shine, the ¢ flying in circles in a rising flight, the g¢ flying just 
below her in larger circles. While butterflies appear to revel in the 
hot sunshine, most birds seek the shelter of trees and sing little during 
the midday heat. In the sides of the wood Huchloé cardamines, Camp- 
togramma bilineata, and Venilia macularia were lazily flying. Oak and 
hazel trees were stripped nearly bare of their leaves by C. brumata 
larvee, and a number of ichneumon flies were running over the remain- 
ing leaves, waving their white tipped antenne vigorously while search- 
ing for victims. An opening in the ride, which allowed the sunshine 
to penetrate, was the playground of the Diptera Bombylius major and 
B. minor and a large bee-like fly, which spent their time hovering in 
the air, the last every now and then darting to one side to capture an 
unhappy fly that was also hovering with its fellows. The latter’ 
apparently were not alarmed at the fate of their companion, and scon 
suffered the same fate themselves. A hunting spider was running 
over the leaves in search of victims, while a green lacewing fly was 
busily engaged devouring aphides on a leaf stalk, and a luckless larva 
was found that was shedding through its skin four dipterous larve, 
and not far off an orb-weaving spider sat in the middle of her snare 
waiting for something to turn up. These notes and observations were 
made on the spot within the space of about ten minutes, and one can 
scarcely imagine the enormous destruction of insect life that goes on 
at almost every hour of the day during the spring, summer and 
autumn. A little further on I came across a hornbeam whose leaves 
were riddled by a species of sawfly larve, and watched a hunting spider 
carry off a C. brumata larva, while a dipterous fly attacked a larva that 
already looked half dead with ichneumon attacks. One Tephrosia 
punctularia, one Xanthorhoe fluctuata, and a number of Triaena pst 
were found at rest on oak trunks. 
On the way home across the fields in the dusk the only day flying 
insect seen was a Humble Bee, busily engaged in fertilising the flowers 
of the Broad Bean, which reminds one of Wordsworth’s lines, and 
testifies to the accuracy of his observations. 
One June 12th more Apatela aeeris were seen on dark elm trunks, 
at Dulwich, where they showed up as a light, almost white patch, and 
