RECORDS FROM A LEPIDOPTERIST's LOG-BOOK. 253 



The winter 1919-1920 will long be remembered as one of the 

 mildest on record— at least by people in the south of England. 

 Countless larvae, etc., must have been tempted early from their 

 hibernation. In my own small garden sallow was in bloom on 

 January 16th, and at dusk on the same date I found larva? of 

 Nania typica, Phlogophora meticulosa and Arctia caja feeding on 

 hollyhock and the young shoots of honeysuckle. On February 

 7th Xylocampa areola appeared in my outdoor cage and several 

 were bred during the following days. The 8th was extremely 

 mild and cloudy, and during the forenoon I cycled to the woods 

 to search palings and tree-trunks for imagines of Hybernia leuco- 

 pliaearia, etc., but I saw not a single insect of any sort. During 

 the evening of the 13th I found many larva? of N. typica, and a 

 few T. pronuba and Enrols prasin a feeding in the garden. The 

 loth w r as another mild day, and during the forenoon I was in the 

 woods to search palings, etc., and I observed about two dozen 

 males of H. leucopliaearia at rest, but saw nothing else. On the 

 29th in the same locality, although the weather was still mild and 

 calm I only noted two male H. leucopliaearia after much searching. 

 Of Phigalia pedaria or Ap)ocheima hispidaria I had not as yet seen 

 a sign, although these two species are usually abundant here. 



March 21st was an ideal spring day, being beautifully bright 

 and warm. I went to the woods in the forenoon and saw many 

 Brephos parthenias Hying round sallow bloom, and odd specimens 

 of Vanessa io and G. rhamni ; a long search of tree-trunks only 

 revealed a solitary X. areola. H. leucopliaearia, etc., were now 

 apparently quite over as I did not observe any either on this date 

 or later. On March 22nd Aleucis pictnria was bred and also 

 during the following days. They were from wild larva? I had 

 collected the previous summer. March 24th was somewhat 

 cloudy after three or four bright days, and I determined to visit 

 sallow bloom, which was fast going over owing to the exception- 

 ally mild winter. So having observed a likely clump on the 

 previous Sunday I visited it in the evening at dusk. There were 

 very few insects about, however, chiefly 0. vaccina and 

 E. satellitia and one or two each of T. pulverulcnta, T. miniota, 

 T. mnnda, T. mcerta, X. areola, etc., and I netted a couple of 

 E. abbreviata. Rain commenced to fall about midnight and 1 

 arrived home somewhat damp. On the 26th I noticed a newly 

 emerged Pieris rapae, drying its wings in the garden. The 28tb 

 was a mild spring day, calm in the evening, with a half moon 

 behind a film of light cloud. I visited the sallows again, and 

 observed all the species noted on the 24th with the addition of 

 T. gracilis and T. gothica. That usual pest T. siabilu seemed 

 quite scarce. My' net gave me a couple each of E. abbreviata 

 and Lobophora carpinata, while E. pumilata was Hying in some 

 numbers about gorse by the road-side. On the 80th AnticUa 

 nigrofasciaria was bred. 



