August, 1870.] 49 
night. Seven species of Cidaria were found, the best being psittacata. 
C. miata was taken on the 5th of June in good condition, but probably 
had hybernated. Very dark (almost unicolorous) varieties of C. populata 
were not very uncommon near Mam Suil, and the variety albo-crenata 
of corylata was common with the type in many places. OC. fulvata was 
rare. 
The genus Acronycta was well represented by seven species, several 
of which occurred both in the perfect and larval states, and all the 
seven were taken at sugar. The southern species megacephala appears 
to be a true native of northern Scotland, wherever its food-plant, Populus 
tremula, is at all common. A. leporina turned up occasionally at sugar, 
and a few larve were found on birch and hazel. Larvee of menyanthidis 
were not very scarce, feeding upon Myrica gale, and, more rarely, upon 
heather and sallow. It has, I believe, been lately stated in ‘‘ Newman’s 
Entomologist” that Myrica gale is probably not the common food-plant 
of menyanthidis, but it certainly is the common food of the larva in the 
north, whatever it may be elsewhere. A few specimens of myrice 
came to sugar. The time of the appearance of the imago of myrice 
is said (and I believe correctly) to be from the middle of May to the 
middle of June. How, then, did it happen that both in 1868 and 1869 
T never saw a specimen before the 30th of June, and that all the speci- 
mens I have taken were apparently newly emerged from their puparia ? 
The female has dark grey hind-wings, a fact, which not being mentioned 
in Stainton’s Manual, greatly elated me (for several days after my cap- 
ture of one) with the idea of a new British species. Becoming, however, 
rather doubtful on the matter, I applied to my friend Mr. Norman for 
some extracts from Guenée’s “ Noctuélites,’ and thereby solved the 
enigma. I have never been able to find the larva of this species for all 
my searching for it. From what I have heard, however, it would appear 
that, not Myrica, but heather (or sallow) is the usuai food-plant. 
Though I was unsuccessful in my search, yet the larva of myrice was 
found in Strathelass this year (as well as at Forres and Rannoch); at 
least, Sir D. C. Majoribank’s children described to me a caterpillar that 
they had found (and which had spun up) which could have been none 
other than that of myrice. Hydrecia nictitans was common on rag- 
wort, and micacea caine to light. Dark varieties (and intermediate 
forms) of Xylophasia polyodon were as common as the type, and abundant 
at sugar. On the 5th of July I had the great pleasure of taking a 
specimen of Orymodes exulis at sugar. Very few specimens of this 
insect seem to have been taken in Britain; I only know of 9 or 10 
British specimens. To the proboscis of my specimen several orchid 
