"l']'! THE EXTOMOLOGISt's KECORD. 



21. — The cocoons of Stiiuumota rniiana ave to be obtained during 

 autumn and winter under the bark of old sycamore trees ; the hirva 

 appears to remain in its cocoon unchanged until spring. 



N.B. — For similar series of Practical Hints for this period of October 

 see vols, x., pp. 250-252, ix., pp. 264-6, viii., pp. 194-5, 241, &c. 



I 



3i^0TES ON COLLECTING, Etc. - 



Notes on collecting in the Isle of Man. — The entomological I 

 season of 1899 has been a most successful one here. Insects have been I 

 numerous, and some good captures have been made. As regards rare 1 

 species Deilephila Urornica stands decidedly first. Several specimens 

 of this beautiful moth having been seen and captured during May 

 along the coast, near Douglas Head, as stated by me {ante, pp. 166 and 

 194). During the latter part of May and early June the great feature 

 was the astonishing numbers of Macroiilossa stellatarum, which ap- 

 peared in various parts of the island (a good many freshly-emerged 

 specimens have recently been seen by me [between the 6th and 11th 

 inst.] about midday, hovering over the flowers of lobelia. Are these a 

 second brood from those which appeared in May '?). Between 21st of 

 May and 6th June, Chnerocampa porcdlm and C. elpenor were plentiful 

 at flowers of red valerian and white pinks. The latter insect also came 

 freely to the trees which I sugared during the early part of the evening, 

 and examples were easily netted whilst hovering in front of the sweets. 

 Dianthoecia capsophiln and D. caeda were on the wing unusually early, 

 namely. May 8th, which seems strange, considering the cold winds 

 experienced for some time previous to that date, and which retarded 

 vegetation so much. In ordinary seasons June 1st may generally be 

 regarded as the proper date on which to take D. caeda in good condi- 

 tion, at least this has been my experience. The dealers who visited 

 the island this year reaped, I am told, a rich harvest in this species, 

 aided by local talent. S. philanthiforwis larvae were to be taken freely 

 from thrift all through May, and during June and July Noctuids 

 swarmed at sugar, and light proved very attractive. Cirrhoedia 

 iverawpelina appeared very early in August. A good many specimens 

 were taken by me previous to August 10th. In former years I scarcely 

 ever took the insect before the 20th, and found emergences taking 

 place daily up to September 3rd. Fyrainch atalanta has been very 

 numerous all through August, the insect coming to sugar in great 

 numbers during the afternoon. A fine specimen of a locust, which 

 Mr. Malcolm ]3urr, of Dormans Park, East Grinstcad, kindly identified 

 for me as being J'ac/n/ti/liis dauietis, L., was captured alive on the Calf 

 of Man by Mr. Cary,*^ on August 80th. Some ivy bloom in front of 

 this house is now attracting many of the commoner autumnal Noctuids, 

 but the cold and high winds of the past week have been adverse to 

 collecting. I am sorry to say that I have had no opportunity of 

 getting to the rocks this year for rolia {.vanthomida) var. ninrocimta, 

 and am, therefore, unable to say whether the insect is out in any 

 numbers or not.— H. Shortridge Clarke, F.E.S., Sulby Parsonage, 

 Isle of Man. September 23>v/, 1899. 



Collecting Lepidoptera in 1899.— I have worked pretty regularly 

 and hard this summer, but the result has been very disappointing, 



