74 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Eupithecia pulchellata. Larvae common on foxgloves at Loch- 

 inver. The series bred includes the southern type, race hebudium, 

 Sheldon, and intermediates. 



E. lariciata and E. castigata. — A few examples of each at 

 Lochinver. 



E. satyrata* var. callunaria. — Common flying over heather. 

 E. plumbeolata. — I met with this species fairly commonly at 

 Inchnadamph under remarkable circumstances ; it is, of course, 

 well known that the usual, and, so far as my knowledge goes, 

 the only recognised food-plant, is Melampyrum pratense ; but 

 the moth at Inchnadamph was only found in meadows where 

 Melampyrum does not grow. They, too, seemed to have 

 the transverse lines somewhat more pronounced than in southern 

 examples of this species, and one wondered if possibly a hitherto 

 unrecognised British species had been met with in this remote 

 spot. Females were captured and confined over specimens of all 

 the likely plants growing in the meadows, with the result that 

 they deposited eggs on Rhinanthus crista-galli and Euphrasia 

 officinalis ; on the seeds and flowers of these plants, and also on 

 those of the nearly allied Bartsia odontites, the larvae fed up. 

 These larvae showed a remarkable feature which is not noticeable 

 in the specimens fed upon Melampyrum pratense— they had very 

 noticeable black chitinous thoracic and anal plates ! I consulted 

 Mr. Prout, who thought they might refer to the nearly allied 

 E. immundata, which has these plates, and is found in North- 

 West Europe. The imagines, however, when compared.with speci- 

 mens of E. immundata in the National Collection, did not agree 

 with that species, and with the exception that the wings were 

 slightly narrower in relation to fcheir length, did not appear to 

 differ from E. plumbeolata. Examples were then handed to Mr. 

 Pierce for examination of the genitalia, but these were found to 

 be indistinguishable from those of E. plumbeolata. 



This discovery of additional food-plants has thrown light 

 upon a problem that has puzzled me. Some years ago I netted 

 in the centre of Wicken Fen examples of a moth which I could 

 not distinguish from E. plumbeolata ; and certainly Melampyrum 

 pratense does not grow there. Last autumn, however, I did see 

 Rhinanthus crista-galli growing freely in the Fen, and have no 

 doubt but that it is the food-plant there also. 

 E. nanata* — Common. 



E.pumilata.* — Certainly the most abundant Eupithecia, being 

 extremely common on the heathery ground. Someof the examples 

 from Inchnadamph were entirely grey in colour. 



Abraxas grossulariata. — A few at Lochinver, but abundant on 

 the Island of Soyea. 



Cabera pusaria.* — Fairly common. 



C. exanthemata. — Lochinver, not common. 



Ellopia pro*apiaria. — Lochinver. 



