83 
LEPIDOPTERA AT SKIPWITH IN 18094. 
REV. CYRIL D. ASH, B.A., 
Vicar of Skipwith, East Yorkshire. 
THE worst season ~ collecting lepidoptera that has been 
experienced for years.’ This is the complaint from almost all 
parts of the country. Under these circumstances I was, perhaps, 
fortunate in having to work a locality quite new to me, and 
apparently very little worked of late years. I now send a brief 
record of the year’s work, and a list of the species observed. The 
district worked consists mainly of Skipwith Common, a large open 
heath, with the usual moorland flora and small patches of Scotch 
firs and birches, and the Holly Carrs, an ornamental wood on the 
edge of Escrick Park. The spring collecting was a sad failure, 
owing to the almost unbroken spell of cold nights, which ruined 
the sallow-collecting, and made larva-searching a blank. In June 
things improved slightly, and some species were abundant at flowers, 
notably Cherocampa fporcellus at rhododendrons, and Aérostola 
urtice at garden rocket. Sugar was a failure till the middle of July, 
when several common species turned up in numbers, especially 
melanic specimens were seen. Sugar continued to be productive 
during August, but the ragwort bloom proved a greater attraction, 
moths swarming on some nights, notably WVoctua umbrosa, of which 
almost any number might have been taken, while WV. xanthographa 
was nearly as common ; perhaps the most interesting capture being 
a fine Apamea fibrosa. In all 22 species were taken at these flowers. 
Larva-beating and sweeping in August and September was fairly 
productive, the birches yielding Platypteryx falcula and Notodonta 
dromedarius in plenty, with about a dozen WV. dicteoides and a few 
Acronycta leporina, the Geometre being represented by Znanomos 
tiliaria, Amphidasys betularia, Odontopera bidentata and Cadbera 
pusaria. On the heaths larve of Bombyx rubi swarmed, Saturnia 
carpini were scarce, and Anarta myrtilli and Eupithecia minutata 
were abundant; several other Geometrz were swept, but have not 
yet been identified. The sallows yielded Dicranura furcula (1), 
Notodonta siczac (2), and a few common Geometre. The autumnal 
Species turned up in great numbers at sugar. I never remember 
seeing Cerastis spadicea in such abundance ; on one night there were 
Over 70 specimens on two small trees. C. vaccinii was less plentiful, 
but Miselia oxyacanthe, Phlogophora meticulosa, and Scopelosoma 
Mar. 1895. 
