196 catalogue of moths. 



Group. GEOMETRINA. 



Pamily. URAPTERYD^, Gn. 



OURAPTERYX, Leach. 



1. Ourapteryx sambuoaria, (Linn.). Swallow Tail. 



Ourapteryx sambucaria. Staint. Man., vol. ii., p. 4, 

 Urapteryx samhucata. Newm. Brit. Moths, p. 50. 

 Ourapteryx sambucaria. Meyr. Hdbk. Brit. Lep., p. 279. 



Larva. Buck., vol. vii., pi. cvi., fig. 1 ; O.Wils., pl.xvi , fig. 1. 



It seems somewhat puzzling, even to those who dwell in the 

 district, to note that Dumfries in Scotland is no further north 

 than l^ewcastle-on-Tyne, at the extreme south of the extensive 

 county of ^Northumberland. These are both on the 55th parallel 

 of north latitude, which appears to limit the range of the Swal- 

 low-tailed Moth. It was recorded for Newcastle-on-Tyne and 

 Meldon Park as far back as 1829 (see Steph. Illust. Brit. Ent., 

 vol. iii., p. 175). It does not appear to reach Meldon Park now. 

 Mr. Einlay, who resided there, could never have over-looked 

 BO large and conspicuous an insect. More recently (1858) Mr. 

 "Wailes recorded it as not uncommon near IS^ewcastle-on-Tyne 

 (Ent. "W. I., vol. iii., p. 147). Still more recently Mr. Wood- 

 cock tells me that he has heard of its occurrence at Gosforth 

 Hall ; Mr. Rhagg has taken it at Winlaton Mill ; Mr. Hedworth 

 at Gibside, Axwell, Thornley, Dunston, etc. Mr. Sticks, who 

 has never taken the imago, has found the larvse and small 

 batches of ova at "Winlaton Mill, Rowlands Gill, Lintz Green, 

 etc. It is thus clear that the species is still well distributed in 

 the Yalley of the Tyne and its tributaries, though none of the 

 most recent records locate it further north of that river than 

 Gosforth. It is in the list in Ormsby's Durham; Mr. Green- 

 well found it at Bishop Auckland ; Mr. Backhouse in gardens 

 at Darlington ; Dr. Lees commonly in Upper Teesdale ; and Mr. 

 Gardner says ''not very common in Hezleden Dene." I have 

 found it there in fair numbers myself, and the Rev. Robert 



