288 THE ENTOMOLOGtSf. 



caterpillars.* Curiously enough, on July 28th of this year, I 

 discovered a liberal supply of the plant in the district known as 

 Sealand (land reclaimed from the tidal Dee), and within three 

 miles of Chester. This welcome acquaintance led to fresh 

 discoveries, and I obtained, I believe, no less than four different 

 species of larvae (nearly full-fed) from the capsules — Emmelesia 

 decolorata, Eupithecia vcnosata, D. carpophaga, and D. cucubali. 

 The most curious thing in this curious season has been the free 

 occurrence of really good larvae. Bomhyx ruhi, B. quercus, and 

 S.fuligmosa, in the larva-state, have been abundant in the Isle 

 of Anglesey, and, close to Chester, I more than once came across 

 caterpillars of Smerinihus ocellatus, Dicranura furcula, D. bifida, 

 and D. vinida — the latter frequently — while I never remember 

 seeing such numbers of S. populi. 



On Aug. 8th, a dull, cold day, I went to Delamere Forest. 

 Lepidoptera were scarce, except C. popidata, fresh from the 

 chrysalis, which rose from the ferns as I brushed through them ; 

 and the pretty "cowslip-yellow" Xanthosetia hamana. Oak- 

 beating was a failure, but from birch I got larvae of Acronycta 

 leporina, A. psi, and Tceniocampa stabilis. I bred a large number 

 of the last-named larvae from moths taken in the spring, as the 

 insects show considerable variation in the general colour of the 

 wings ; but the caterpillars exhibited a very close resemblance to 

 each other. I also took a strange, dull green caterpillar off 

 bilberry, with dark, smoky green V-shaped marks on each 

 segment. Growing out of a hedge in the village, I was surprised 

 to find a solitary plant of Silene inflata. Eain came on early in 

 the afternoon, and put a stop to further work. 



On Aug. 9th, a male B. quercus, var. callunce, in which I 

 understand the interior dark brown of the lower wings ends in a 

 curved point on the anal angle, emerged from a larva brought to 

 me in June. Another caterpillar received at same time spun up 

 August 27th, and is now lying over the winter. 



On Aug. 29th, a search for larvae on the sallows, &c., in 

 Caughall Lane — my chief hunting ground in the spring — proved 

 a failure. 1 was rewarded, however, with a nice series of 

 Ephippipliora populana {ephippana), 2b beautiful little Tortrix with 

 dark purplish upper wings ornamented with a conspicuous, 

 central, cream-coloured blotch. 



In September I was much away from home ; but on the 5th 

 I again visited Delamere, and beat larvae of Lophopteryx camelina 

 (abundant this year), Drepana falcataria (falcula), Notodonta 

 dromedarius, Dasychira pudibunda, and Amphidasys betularia 

 from oaks and birch. My special object was to beat larvae of 

 Hadena adusta for a correspondent, off bog-myrtle, on Hatchmere 

 Moss ; and, in spite of the fire which apparently exterminated 

 many species here two years ago, I succeeded. Larvae of H. 



* These larvffi -will eat seed-capsules of pinks and sweet-williams. — Ed, 



