﻿NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 135 



yards. My own experience is that it would be much more difficult to say 

 which families are not attracted by gas-lamps than which are, even such 

 sun-loving species as Pieris rapa and Vanessa atalanta having been found 

 in such situations, the fact of their returning after being driven away 

 proving, I think, that the bright flame had some fascination for them. A word 

 as to time : some species of moths will, doubtless, come to light even before 

 the twilight has died away, but it is not until darkness has long set in that 

 lamping becomes profitable ; and if we are content to spend the still, small 

 hours of a warm dark morning in searching the gas-lamps in any suitable 

 locality, we are not likely to return home with many empty boxes ; not 

 only are moths then more common than in the earlier part of the evening, 

 but are more easily secured — R. Adkin ; Wellfield, Lewisham, March, 1890. 



There are a few very curious facts in Mr. Arkle's article (Entom. 100), 

 under the above heading, which appear (if correct) to show the habits of 

 Lepidoptera in the vicinity of Chester to be peculiar to that locality. 

 I think every collector of experience will admit that nearly all the 

 nocturnal flying Sphingidae are attracted by light : alropos, convolvuli, 

 galii, livornica, celerio, elpenor, ocellatus, populi, and Mice are well-known 

 examples, and Smerlnthus populi is often very abundant. The Tmiiocampce 

 in this district are common visitors to the lamps, especially T. gothica and 

 T. instabilis ; Plusia gamma is generally abundant, and Dicranura vinula 

 not scarce, the latter sitting on the ironwork of the lamp like many other 

 large species ; Sjrilosoma fuliginosa, although by no means common here, 

 turns up sometimes at light; and Hepialus lupulinus is a pest, both in 

 rooms and at the street lamps. Some of the appearances are also a little 

 peculiar at Chester. I see Mr. Arkle takes Diumea fagella and Lemnato- 

 phila phryganella at light in July ; we take the former here in March, April, 

 and May (male). Its popular name used to be the March-dagger. The 

 latter flies in our woods in November. 1 see Tortricodes hyemana occurs at 

 light at Chester in August. This is worth noting, for with us it is one of 

 the earliest species to occur in our oak woods, and is over by the end of 

 April. Mr. Arkle's list is long, but, including Tortrices, I think most 

 metropolitan collectors could easily double it. It is astonishing what 

 species come to light when that means of capture is steadily worked. 

 I have taken day-flying insects, like Acontla luctuosa and Satumia pavonia 

 (carpini), in this way ; and on one memorable evening, I had forty-one 

 species present themselves between 11 p.m. and 1.30 a.m. — C. Fenn ; 

 Evenden House, Burnt Ash Hill, Lee, S.E. 



During several years' experience, I have never seen a single species of 

 the Sphingidae at lamps. To the lists already given I can add Dasypolia 

 templi, Xylina semibrunnea, a.x\d Eucosmia certata. I have seen both Tcenio- 

 campa gothica and stabilis, as a further proof that some of the Tcenio- 

 campa are attracted by light. — T. B. Jefferys: Bath. 



Early emergence of S. b[lunakia. — On the 30th January I 

 chanced to go into the cold saddle-room where I keep ray pupae, and 

 found, to my astonishment, that a male and female of the above had 

 emerged. Before their wings had dried they paired, and on the following 

 day the female laid eggs, which are apparently fertile. Subsequently 

 others emerged, as follows: — February 2nd, one female; 3rd, one male; 

 0th, one female ; 7th, one female ; 13th, one female ; 14th, one male. 

 Newman gives April as the date of emergence! As a further instance of 



