312 ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. BY V. R. PERKINS. 
XLI.—Entomological Notes. By V. R. Perxiys. 
Tue opening of the season of 1862 gave a fair promise of a 
better year for Entomologists than the two previous seasons of 
1860-1, and hope rose high in the breasts of those who had felt. 
disappointed in having so many blank places still unfilled at the 
close of last year. Many young collectors then, I fear, gave up 
all idea of continuing in the pursuit of insects, because they had 
done so badly, and others thought it was not worth the trouble 
to go out catching them, but those who did keep trudging on 
despite of disappointments, and the unpropitious fates, were no 
doubt amply compensated when those few fine, warm, and really 
spring like days at the commencement of April brought out 
numerous Andrenide, and early Bombi, and made the hive bees 
at the same time remarkably “‘busy.” As the month wore on, 
the little “spring dagger” moth was in profusion, and I picked 
several very fine specimens of the dark variety, from the trunks of 
the beech trees, on the Benton road, not one specimen of which 
could I get last year. ‘Towards the end of the month, that 
beautiful “Bumbler”’ Fly, ‘“Bombylius major,” which has con- 
tracted a habit of always falling on its broad back, whenever the 
wind is a little stronger than usual, and from which position, with 
its long slender legs, it finds considerable difficulty in righting 
itself, was more plentiful than I had ever before seen it. How 
this insect revels in the hot sun, darting from one primrose blossom 
to another, if but a shade passes over it, it drops to the ground 
invisible, and now also the curious ‘Oil Beetle,” dMJeloe pro- 
scarab@us, was crawling about in all directions. 
Early in May, I made several additions to my collection of 
bees, and several good beetles fell into my bottle. 
In June the Ruby Tiger moth, Huthemonia russula, was 
anything but rare, I found it in the wood above Winlaton once, 
and it was especially plentiful on the Links below Bamburgh 
Castle. At Gibside I took several good moths, among which 
may be noticed Xylophasia rurea var., combusta, rare, the speci- 
men was at rest on the fresh cut portion of an ash pole, rather 
a Singular place for this insect, as the pale colour of the new 
