NOTES FROM CHESHIRE AND NORTH WALISS. 28^ 



in addition to a very conspicuous dark brown costal spot near the 

 tip, there is, midway on the costal margin of each wing, another 

 still more pronounced dark brown blotch. The base of each 

 lower wing is further ornamented with a large triangular patch 

 of the same dark brown as the costal spots, but delicately 

 reticulated with pale grey. The body is stout, and an inch in 

 length. This fine dragon-fly is Libellula quadrimaculata. 



In the Forest I came across the usual common insects — 

 Ematurga atomaria, Bupalis piniaria, Melanthia ocellata, Mela- 

 nipjpe sociata {suhtristata),Caherapusaria, C . exanthemata, Panagr a 

 peti'aria, Macaria liturata, Thera variata var. obeliscata, and a 

 fine specimen of Hylopliila prasinana, just emerged from the 

 chrysalis. What I specially wanted in Lepidoptera, however, 

 was Tephrosia hiundularia var. delameriensis, and I secured half 

 a dozen good specimens off the oak-trunks. The females obliged 

 me with several batches of eggs, some of which were sent off to 

 entomological friends, and I reared a considerable number of 

 larvse, which began to pupate on August 9th. 



On June 20th a lot of Mamestra brassicce I had bred up from the 

 egg in the summer of 1890 for observation began to show them- 

 selves. About a dozen moths appeared from the same brood on 

 Sept. 11th, 1890, and in the two or three following days. The 

 rest lay over the winter, and appeared as perfect insects between 

 June 20th and July 17th. These I simply turned out of the 

 flower-pots as they emerged, thinking they would take themselves 

 off at the approach of nightfall ; but they laid their eggs first, 

 and the consequence was that the few green things I can grow 

 out-of-doors were attacked by a host of the caterpillars, mint and 

 French and African marigolds being especially selected. I also 

 bred from the egg a batch of Noctua augur, the caterpillars of 

 which hybernated through the winter, and appeared as imagines 

 by July 12th. The eggs of these insects, seen through a powerful 

 microscope, are a sight worth remembering, especially those of 

 M. brassicce, with their irregular, blotched, purple band, and 

 ribbed shell as of dull white china. 



July was a cold wet month, so cold and wet that collecting 

 was almost impracticable.* A lot of Bombyx neustria began to 

 show themselves in the breeding-boxes on the 17th. The larvae 

 were kindly sent me by Mr. W. J. Kerr, who came across them 

 in considerable numbers at Barmouth in June. This is a new 

 insect to our district list. On or about this date I sacrificed my 

 small number of l^red Agrotis ashivorthii in obtaining ten eggs, 

 which turned out infertile. This experiment I am not likely to 

 repeat. July 19th : Dianthoecia capsincola (larvae taken at Aber- 

 dovey, July, 1890) began to appear. I only bred two specimens, 

 as I failed to find Silene inflata in this neighbourhood for the 



* I tried sugaring for two or three nights, but as the result was nothing but 

 Bnails, slugs, and earwigs, I gave it up. — J. A. 



