70 TMe ENTOMOLOGlAt. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES, CAPTURES, &c. 



The Entomological Season of 1890: — 



Notes from, Ringivood. — In my notes of December (Entom. xxiii. 

 831) I gave an account of Rliopalocera taken here during last season, 

 and now append further notes upon the moths and larvae. Sugar 

 here, as elsewhere, has been almost a failure, still by other means I 

 have taken a fair number of species, and, upon the whole, I consider 

 moths have been plentiful, only the rare species rarer than usual. 

 A favourite mode of netting with me is to post myself under a thick 

 sallow or sloe growing in the hedges of lanes, and net any insect that 

 hovers about ; many Noctuae and Geometry may be taken this way. 

 Some larvaB have been abundant here, especially species of the Lasio- 

 campidffi ; Clisiocanipa neustria in thousands upon apple trees, bramble, 

 &c. ; on one tree I saw five batches feeding ; Lasiocampa quercus, upon 

 sloe ; L. calluna, upon heath ; also L. rubi, of which I have about one 

 hundred hybernating ; L. potatoHa, upon various grasses, and the 

 imago very common ; several times I have seen the females deposit 

 ova upon the dead leaves of Rubus fruticosus, in clusters of four or five ; 

 other larvge plentiful, which I will mention in due course. Sphinx 

 ligustri (one) ; Smerinthus tilicB, from sallow ; *S'. populi, common ; •S'. 

 ocellatus, sallow ; Macroglossa stellatarum, few seen at geraniums ; 

 Trochilium hemheciformis (one), larvae in sallow stems; Hemaris (Macro- 

 glossa) homhijliformis, scarce ; H. (M.) fuciformis, several, and many 

 bred, some of the same set with the wings quite covered with rich 

 brown scales ; to obtain them in this way the imago must be killed 

 almost immediately upon emergence, as at the least flight the wings 

 become clear : Sesia tipuliformis, common in my garden ; Setina 

 [Lithosia) meso)iiella, in company with Emydia cribrum and Fachy- 

 cnemia hippocastanaria, common upon certain heaths. Lithosia com- 

 planula, common on the wing between ten and twelve, p.m. ; Gnophria 

 rubricollis, rather scarce, pupse from moss upon oaks, the cocoon 

 of which resembles S. jnencUca, only smaller ; Euchelia jacobace and 

 larvae, common ; Nemeophila russula, few ; Arctia caia and larvse 

 abundant ; Spilosoma lubricipeda, S. vienthastri (common) ; S. mendica, 

 female taken and sixty-seven pupae obtained ; males of Orgyia antiqua 

 flying through the ridings in the forest ; Dasychira fascelina, D. pudi- 

 bunda, scarce ; larva of Ocneria monacha, few ; Porthesia aurifiiia, 

 Hepialus lupulinus, scarce ; larvae of Psyche villosella, fairly common, 

 and now hybernatinng upon the heaths ; to obtain these curious case- 

 makers I go to the collecting ground about March or April, and 

 if there are fir trees scattered about, search the trunks from one to two 

 feet from the ground — it is a favourite position they take before 

 pupating ; failing trees, I have collected many from the ends of twigs 

 of Ulex europmis, and in this position they greatly resemble the dead 

 shoots with which the furze is usually covered : Cilix glaucata, 

 common ; also Saturnia carpini ; of this species I found two cocoons 

 upon the tops of Calluna vidgaris, quite conspicuous ; Pcecilocampa 

 populi (one) ; PygcBra pigra and Phalera bucephala, common ; Cerura 

 bifida, at sallow ; Cymatophora fluctiiosa, scarce ; larva of Asphalia 



