CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 261 



the other larvae were Thecla guercus, T. betiUce, Limenitls sihylla (one 

 pupated the same day on which we found it, and the imago emerged on 

 June 6th), Argynnis pojihia, Bombyx quercus, B. neustrta, Amphipyra 

 pyraynidea, Taiiiocampa miniosa, T. munda, Cleora glabraria, Liparis 

 monacha, Hylophila bicolorana, Cymatopliora ridens (not nearly as abun- 

 dant as in 1894 and 1895), G. fiavicornis, and Diloba ccBrideocepliala. — 

 H. 0. Wells; Hurstfield, The Avenue, Gipsy Hill, July 7th, 1896. 



From June 29th till July 8th my whole time, with the exception of one 

 rainy day, was spent in extracting gorgeous specimens from what seemed at 

 first sight an inextricable mass of forest. Lepidoptera and Coleoptera were 

 the favoured branches of natural history — chacu7i a son govt. The weather 

 was completely as it should be for collecting, and many were the excursions 

 made by day under a sun that gave out heat enough to daunt any save 

 ardent entomologists. It was fairly surprising, to one who has not done 

 much collecting before in the forest, to note the swarm of " bug-hunters " 

 that invaded the place, and will continue to invade it, until the objects 

 of their pursuit become extinct. Each night, at sugaring time, the favoured 

 spots were ablaze with lanterns, carried by " similarly afflicted ones," 

 hurrying from patch to patch, endeavouring to capture their rarities, and 

 at the same time throwing a hurried glance at the trees in their rear, for 

 fear of possible poachers. At times one might be fortunate enough to 

 secure the two best rides for night work, but such a keen rush is made for 

 these places that the most determined takes possession at 4 p.m., thus 

 having to wait four hours in solitude until the " sticky " time arrives. Of 

 course the holder has the consolation of witnessing the would-be holders 

 walk past with disgust written on their faces, which immediately gives way 

 to sarcasm should conversation ensue. How the collector feels if the 

 night turns out an utterly unprofitable one T am glad to say I do not know. 

 Limenitis sibylla swarmed, and always with it, but in greater numbers, 

 Argynnis paphia. Two black (one without a trace of white) varieties of the 

 former, and a variety coming between valesina and the type of the latter, 

 head the list of the Rhopalocera. A male A. papJiia, with white spots, 

 was also taken ; and what I consider to be the best thing I saw, a 

 strikingly handsome variety of the male A. paphia, I missed ; my hand 

 trembles now, as I think of that fatal moment. But more valuable space 

 I must not use with talk. The following list includes insects taken or seen 

 during daylight; — Argynnis seJene, A. adippe, A. paphia and var. valesina, 

 Vanessa atalanta, V. polychloros (saw one), Limenitis sibylla and two of the 

 black variety, Apatura iris (saw one), Satyrus semele, Thecla quercus, 

 Lyccena agon, Hesperia sylvanus, Bombyx rubi, Nemeophila riissula, 

 Boarmia roboraria, Metrocampa rnargaritaria, Cleora glabraria, C. lichenaria, 

 Pseudoterpna cytisaria, Phorodesma bajularia, Bupalus piniaria, Eubolia 

 plumbaria, Hypena proboscidalis, and Endotricha fammealis. Night 

 captures are perhaps rather more numerous. Among these were : — 

 Acronycta tridens, Leucania turca, Triphana subsequa, Erastria fuscula, 

 Catocala sjjonsa, C. promissa, Toxocampa pastiniim (I have never known 

 this at sugar before), Aplecta herbida, Nola strigula (very abundant), 

 Lithosia mesomella, Calligenia miniata, Boarmia roho7'aria (female), B. 

 repandata war. conversaria, Aventia flexula, and Melanthia albicillata. C. 

 promissa at best is a " slippery customer," and one that wants well knowing 

 before you can expect to obtain a fine series. To net them is useless ; once 

 inside the net they invariably emerge in hopeless fluff. To bottle them 

 straight away off the tree is practically the sole way of obtaining them 



