2754 Insects. 



evening of July 13th, "somewhere between Sydenham bridge and the sign-post 

 marked ' Bee Hive.' " Two specimens taken by Mr. Douglas, at Wickham and 

 Mickleham, from firs, at the end of June. 



H. T. Stainton. 



Mouutsfield, Lewisham, 

 February, 1850. 



(To be continued). 



Entomological Revelations. — I have for some years maintained that we have very 

 few really rare species of Lepidoptera, yet the word rare is in great request, and 

 is used as the most powerful lever that can be applied to force insects to change their 

 place in one cabinet for a vacant place in another. It is an important object to as- 

 certain what leads to the reported rarity of any given species, and I shall therefore 

 glance at some of those species which have been honoured with this reputation for 

 rarity. The extraordinary success of Mr. Weaver at Rannoch is familiar to all ento- 

 mologists : in 1847 I visited this celebrated locality, and on the very day of my arrival 

 I took Hadena rectilinea, Anarta cordigera, Anarta menalopa, and Acronycta Eu- 

 phorbia?, as well as three specimens of Geometra carbonaria. I found that large 

 blocks of granite were the favourite resting places of A. Euphorbia and A. cordigera, 

 and in such localities I succeeded in taking above eighty specimens of the former: 

 the pupa-cases, as well as the perfect insects, were on these granite blocks : of the lat- 

 ter I took but twenty-seven, as they are extremely wary, taking flight at the least 

 alarm, and when on the wing flying with wonderful rapidity. Of Geometra carbo- 

 naria I met with four specimens only "• I believe the season was rather past for them, 

 it being the first week in June. On the very highest and most exposed summits of 

 the hills I captured twenty-seven of Anarta melanopa, starting them up from among 

 the Lycopodia which abound in such situations. This species is not difficult to ap- 

 proach, and is very partial to the wild thyme. Having found a specimen of H. recti- 

 linea on the heath, I sugared for this species, and eventually succeeded in taking above 

 eighty of them. I may here observe that very few species were attracted by the sugar: 

 Hadena adusta and Pisi, Rusina tenebrosa, Acronycta Euphorbia?, a species of Tri- 

 phama and Xylophasia polyodon were all that occurred, the first of these in profusion. 

 On some of the western hills I took a pair of a new Scopula. On Schehallion I was 

 fortunate enough to meet with Psodos trepidaria about three quarters of the way up 

 the mountain. I saw them settling on black stones that looked liked smoked lime- 

 stone, and I observed that they got on the shady side of the stones, the sun being in- 

 tensely hot; with this rare species I succeeded in filling a hundred boxes. On the 

 very summit of Schehallion, just by the beacon erected by the Ordnance Survey, I took 

 a pair of Anarta melanopa. In the Black Forest I took plenty of the beautiful Coc- 

 cyx cosmophorana flying round young pines in company with C. coniferana : here I 

 also met with three specimens of Tinea picarella on an old lichen-covered stump. In 

 the Pass of Killicrankie I took a pair Coccyx lunulana flying in the sunshine. On 

 leaving Rannoch I took about two dozen specimens of Speranza sylvaria. In the 

 Isle of Arran I took twenty-eight specimens of Plusia interrogation is in three days, and 

 no less than forty of Charissa obfuscaria in one day. Subsequently, at Carlisle, I took 



