YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS UNION. 



REPORTS 



OF THE 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION: 



18 77. 



yOKKSHIRE MACRO-LEPIDOPTEBA m 1877. 



By G. T. PORRITT, F.L.S., Huddersfield. 

 Secretary of ihe Entomological Sution. 



The universal testimony of our Yorkshire lepidopterists 

 seems to be that the season of 1877 has been one of the worst 

 ever experienced. We may add also that this, judging from the 

 records, ha,s been the case not only in our own county but 

 throughout the country. No doubt a good many circumstances 

 tended to bring about this unfortunate state of things, and two of 

 them have been evident enough. In the iirst place it must be 

 remembered that during the best part of the summer of 1876 

 rain (which has always been considered the worst enemy to 

 lepidopterous life) fell incessantly for weeks, and must have 

 prevented even the depositing of millions of eggs; and of those 

 that were deposited, if hatched at all, the young larvae would only 

 emerge to be drowned in thousands. After this we could not have 

 expected 1877 to be very prolific in moths, even had the weather 

 turned -out everything to be desired; but when it proved, as it 

 did, almost the rainiest year on record in Yorkshire, and notably 

 so in the West Riding, having very few consecutive fine days 

 throughout the whole year, the wonder is that lepidoptera have 

 existed at all. Another reason is, that "sugar/' the Noctua 

 hunter's indispensable bait, and to which, two years ago, Noctuse 

 flocked in myriads almost the whole season through, has this year 

 been an utter failure, and as great a contrast to 1875 as could 

 possibly be imagined. Night after night, and month after month, 

 did we go out and bait our trees most deliciously, but often, 

 nay generally, not a moth, good, bad, or indifferent, would appear 

 for our pains, 



Trans, Y.N.U., 1877. Series D. 



