41 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES, CAPTURES, &c. 



Notes on the Season, 1890. — The experience of many entomologists 

 seems to be that Lepidoptera have been scarce during the past season, but, 

 as far as I am concerned, the year 1890 has been quite up to the average: 

 at least as regards numbers. T append a list of some of my captures in 

 Enfield. From pupae obtained at the roots of oak trees during the winter, 

 I bred Taniocampa gothica, T. incerta (instabilis), and T. stabilis freely ; 

 also Phigalia pedaria, two females of which emerged in January. In March 

 I captui'ed Amphidasys strataria, and males of Hybernia marginaria were 

 to be had in plenty at the street-lamps. Two specimens of Smerinthus 

 populi emerged in May ; and on the 1 0th of that mouth I caught a stray 

 T. gothica at a street-lamp, although the last of those I had bred emerged 

 on the 5th of April. During May insects were very abundant, notably 

 Euchloe cardamines, Nisionades tages, Bxidi Euclidia glypliica : of these three 

 species I could have taken hundreds. Syrichthus malvm, Heliodes tenehrata 

 (arbuti), and Euclidia mi were fairly common. Two specimens of Dicranura 

 vinula and one of Acronycta megacephala emerged early in June from pupse 

 obtained the previous year; I also bred Metrocampa margaritaria from 

 larvae beaten off hornbeam in May. Noctua augur, common ; Hepialus 

 humuli, twice taken ; Plusia iota, once. Larvae, as a rule, were scarce ; 

 but Miselia oxyacanthcB larvae were not uncommon, and those of Diloba 

 caruleocephala and Bombyx neustria were extremely abundant; on the 7th 

 of June I took two nests (numbering about 150 individuals) of the latter oflf 

 one sloe-bush. Most of the common species of Rhopaiocera were fairly 

 abundant, with one striking exception : Hesperia sylvanus appeared in its 

 usual numbers ; but of H. thaumas (linea), usually so common during the 

 latter part of June, I did not see a single specimen during the whole of the 

 year. In July ray chief captures were Phorodesina pustulata and Heniithea 

 strigata ; also Plusia chrysitis and Pericallia syringaria at syringa-bloom, 

 which is considerably more efficacious than sugar while it lasts. Perhaps 

 the most abundant moths were the day-flying Eubolia llmitata (mensuraria) 

 and Cidaria associata {dotata) ; this latter flying over our currant-bushes 

 during the evening. In August I sugared vigorously and frequently ; but 

 the only species rewarding my exertions were : — Aniphipyra pyramidea 

 (fairly common, though not nearly so much so as in former years), Mania 

 typica, M. maura, Calymnia affinis and G. diffiais, Boarmia gemmaria, 

 Noctua xanthographa, TriphcBna comes and T. pronuba, and, " last, but not 

 leiLSt," Xylophasia monoglypha {polyodon). On the 15th of the month I 

 found a batch of ova of Arctia caia on willow ; this is the second time I have 

 found them on this plant; I usually find the larvae on stinging-nettle, and 

 feed up nearly all my larvae on it. I have never seen either of these food- 

 plants mentioned before, although T have never found the larvae on any 

 other plant, except the common dead-nettle (Lamium album). The first fort- 

 night of September I spent at Lowestoft, where I took the following species 

 at gas-lamps : — Bryophila perla, Luperina testacea, Melanippe Jiuctuata, 

 and PioneaforJicaUs (common); also single specimens of Porthesia {Liparis) 

 similis (aurijiiia), Mania maura, and Eugonia [Ennomos) fuscantaria. On 

 the 12th of this month I caught a specimen of Eubolia limitata ; in Enfield 

 T never see it later than the first week of August, and it is most abundant 

 at the beginning of July. I returned home on the 14th, and found a larva 



ENTOM, — FEB, 1891, E 



