100 



Dr. F. Buchanan White, written to Mr. Stainton (Lewisham) from 

 Perth, on March 23rd, 1858. It runs as follows: — "The Sallows 

 OUT IN Scotland. — I am surprised that the sallows are not out with 

 you ; they have been out almost a week here. We have a long season 

 of them here, for some grow on a sheltered side of KinnouU and come 

 out early, while the more exposed ones come out later. The Tcenio- 

 campce. do not appear to be out, as we only got Orrhodia vaccinii and 

 O. spadicea at these sallows last night. At sugar we got Scopelosom'a 

 saiellitia, Orrhodia vaccifiii, O. spadicea^ and Calocampa exoleta. We 

 saw some Geometrse flying, and some Tortrices and Tineina sitting 

 on whins and broom. We have had weather almost as warm as June 

 for the last week." This evidently proves that the sallows are actually 

 out in the neighbourhood of Perth earlier than in the south of 

 England. 



Thinking that it might be urged that this was only an exceptional 

 case, I turned up some other records, made by Mr. Norman and 

 Dr. F. B. White, which I had observed recently. These explorations 

 gave the following result: — In the " Ent. Mo. Mag.," v., p. 203 

 (1868), Mr. G. Norman, who lived at Cluny Hill, Forres [and who 

 was the first to breed the dark aberrations of T. orbona {vide 

 "E. M. M.," viii., p. 273)], records as follows: — "March 28th, 

 T. piniperda very abundant at sallows. March 26th, T. gothica 

 common at sallows. March 27th, T. ifislabilis, frequent at sallows. 

 March 28th, T. stabilis swarming at sallows." This, I take it, 

 settles the fact that at Forres, the head-quarters of melanic T. orbona, 

 the sallows are out at about the average time that the blossoms 

 appear in most parts of England. 



In " E. M. M.," vi., p. 190, Dr. Buchanan White writes : — 

 " Rannoch and Forres can scarcely be compared ; the former is a 

 high-lying, cold, inland district, the other low-lying, warm (Forres is 

 one of the mildest and driest places in Scotland), and maritime ; 

 and it is to this maritime situation that, I think, Forres is indebted 

 for its southern species." 



Mr. J. Jenner Weir, writing of the occurrence of the melanic form 

 of T. orbona in the Orkney Islands, says : — "The Orkney Islands lie 

 between 58° 41' and 59° 23' N. lat., and between 2° and 3° W. 

 long., thus being from 7° to 8° north of London ; still the climate is 

 mild:' 



One more comparison to complete the evidence. This year, in 

 "Ent. Record," vol. viii (May ist and May isth), are the following 

 reports: — Hereford Jpril 4th, Montrose March 2isi, Morpeth 

 March 23^^, April 15th, Perth during March. In the late (1891) 

 year we find (" Ent. Rec," ii, 85—87) : — Tewkesbury May, Warring- 

 ton May •^th, Wickham Wood April 20th — 28//;, Pitcaple last week 

 of April and first week of May. These are, I doubt not, sufficient 

 to convince you that " sallows " are in blossom in the warmer parts 

 of Scotland at about the same time each year as in various parts of 

 England. 



