94 THK entomologist's record. 



in earnest until July 16th, when sugaring was taken in hand. There- 

 after the latter method was kept up more or less regularly until the end 

 of August, then dropped, and begun again, for reasons which will appear 

 later, on the 21st of September, and finally dropped for good at the end 

 of October. I only took my net out of the garden once during the 

 whole season. I will not note the commonest insects which occur 

 everywhere, but pass on to those which to me appear more worthy of 

 mention. 



First,- then, as to butterflies: ('alias edusa turned up on August 

 27th, when two specimens were brought in to me, I did not go after 

 them ; ( 'i/aniiis ariii<ilt(s was fairly common in both broods ; T/n/nwUcifs 

 lineula occurred on the hill-sides. Of Sphingids I noted — ( '/Kicrncamjia 

 elpenar, Mavnif/Iassa stcUataniiii, and Trovliiliiim crahronithniic, the 

 larvie of the latter common in sallow stems. Among the Nycteolids 

 only Htjlophila hivuhirana occurred ; of the Nolids, Xola nicidlatiila ; of 

 the Arctiids, Xiidaria scuf.r, X. innndana, ('(dUgcnia )iii)tiata, and 

 Lithosia Iniidiola came to light ; of the Hepialids, Hcpialns sijlranus 

 was fairly common, and our only Cossid, Cussiis !if/nij>n-da came to 

 sugar. Of the Cerurids, ' 'cno-a riiiida obligingly laid a batch of eggs 

 for me upon a dwarf poplar, and two empty cocoons of L'cnira hitida 

 proved that this, to me, scarce insect is in the neighbourhood. Of the 

 Notodonts I found only L'/jduijitcri/.c caiiiclitia, but no doubt many 

 others would reward a more diligent search. 



Now for the Noctuids. Lviaania conii/cra swarmed both at light 

 and at sugar. I mention this because it has always been to me a most 

 difficult insect to obtain ; Liucania strainiiwa appears to be fairly 

 common, but so far I have seen no L. ahsohta ; ('alamia idirarpnitidis 

 and, of course, C lutaxa, end up my "wainscot" captures. Hi/dmaia 

 nictitfois occurred, but was entirely outnumbered by what I take to be 

 H.paludis, quite unlike H. nictitani< to my mind, and I cannot imagine 

 anyone being so dense as to ignore so fine a species ; but I daresay I 

 might have passed them over had it not been that I indulge in earnest 

 study of " The British Xoctitae and their Varieties''^ — which I use as a 

 digestive at meal times, being a bachelor — and have digested with such 

 a happy result, as to be always keenly on the look out for all the forms 

 there described, but, above all, for forms which the author had not 

 then got hold of. Yes, the book does make me hungry — for varieties if not 

 for bread and butter. JJijiten/iiia seabriuscida — not very many visited 

 the sugar. Liijierina eesjdtis in its season, and plenty of ( 'eri;i(> niatitra 

 both at sugar and at light. Of Maniestra ahjecta I took more than I 

 have ever found before, all more or less of the shiny-sufl'used form ; 

 M. sordida, not common ; Ajiamea ophio<ira)n}na is in my garden again, 

 but I carefully abstained from taking either larvae — which I found — - 

 or imagines, which I did not even see. I was delighted to find 

 Af/rotis eorticea again, an insect which I had not come across since 

 Brentwood days, and supposed to be more or less inclined to frequent 

 wooded districts, although I know it occurs abundantly enough at some 

 coast localities such as the Deal sandhills. Aifmtis tritici appears to 

 incline towards the aijnUina form as at Rainham, and was fairly 

 common. Of Ai/mtis ohseura I found several in very fine condition, 

 I shall hope to find it again. Xoetita stiijitiatiea appeared to be pretty 

 common, but, so far as I could see, always in bad condition. 

 Having some beech trees in my garden, I was not surprised to come 



