NOTES ON COLLECTING. 75 
on the following day a fairly large ichneumon fly, with a yellow band 
round the body and looking very wasp-like, emerged from a pupa of 7’, 
pronuba (Dulwich). I had seen the flies hovering in my garden, and 
was very pleased at discovering the identity of their host. 
C. brumata larvee which I had collected in the garden were now 
pupating. About this time I was continually discovering batches of 
various Noctuid ova laid on potato leaves, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, 
delphinium, and other leaves, also larve, most of which I reared to the 
pupa or ichneumon stage, but as my ignorance of some of the com- 
mon larve is profound, and as most are still in the pupa stage, I shall 
have to reserve my note on them for a future occasion. On June 16th 
I found a 2 Spilosoma menthastri just emerged, and an 4d. hirtaria 
larva feeding on plum, which had three ova of a dipterous fly attached 
to its skin near the head. On the following day it had shea its skin 
and with it the three fly ova, which remained attached to the old skin 
and still unhatched.—C. W. Contrurur. (To be continued.) 
ABUNDANCE OF Harty GEOMETERS AND THE Harty Season.—During 
a short stroll over Ludshott Common from Hindhead, on February 
11th, I found Hibernia leucophaearia and Phigalia pedaria (pilosaria) 
out in astonishing numbers. Not only out, but in spite of the early 
date the greater part of them were worn, although others were still 
emerging, as several were found drying their wings. The numbers 
were quite phenomenal ; especially so on a scattered belt of small oaks 
and birches edging a wood. On the first one of these trees that we 
approached, there were five P. pedaria (pilosaria) and several H. leuco- 
phaearia, and this tree proved to be no exception. 
There was scarcely a tree without one or more P. pedaria (pilosaria) 
and FH. leucophaearia often numbered as many asa dozen. 4H. pedaria 
(pilosaria) was very lacking in variation, and mostly rather small in 
size, while H. leucophaearia produced nothing beyond the ordinary 
plain and banded forms and intermediates. The dark unicolorous 
form that occurs somewhat commonly in Richmond Park and Epping 
Forest was never seen, nor anything approaching it. No females 
occurred and only three of P. pedaria (pilosaria). 
These latter were all well out of reach and had to be brought down 
with a long stick. It is probably due to this habit of ascending at 
once to the higher branches that accounts for the apparent scarcity of 
the apterous females. H. leucophaearia flew freely in the sun, and 
those at rest, unless freshly emerged, were difficult to box owing to 
their skittishness. ; 
One or two Hibernia marginaria (progemmaria) occurred, also two 
quite fair Hibernia defoliaria, and a single Cheimatobia brumata. 
As things were so early at Hindhead, I ran down to Chingford for 
an hour on the 14th to see if Apochemma (Nyssia) hispidaria was about. 
Here H. leucophaearia was scarcely out, only one freshly emerged 
specimen occurring, but I succeeded in finding four male A. (N.) his- 
pidaria—one very much worn—and the others quite fresh, two of 
them actually drying their wings. Two P. pedaria (ptlosaria) and one 
H. marginaria (progemmaria) were the only other moths seen. 
A spell of severe cold followed, but on the 21st I picked a nice 
olive-coloured P. pedaria (pilosaria), without any markings, off an oak 
tree at Ongar, and on the 23rd again walked through the forest from 
