Royal Physical Society. 407 



the summer by a large amount of dry weather. The conse- 

 quence has been great activity among the insect tribes, and 

 the occurrence of many rare species throughout the country 

 in unusual abundance, especially in the southern counties of 

 England. In Scotland, we have the occurrence of Colias 

 tdusa recorded for the first time in anything like numbers, 

 and many other species have been equally abundant ; while 

 the extreme mildness of the autumn and winter, added to the 

 warmth of the preceding summer, has caused some rather 

 singular aberrations in the economy of various species. Not- 

 withstanding all this, I have to record the addition of only 

 nine species of Lepidoptera to our local list ; and several of 

 these, although occurring at a moderate distance from Edin- 

 burgh, are not strictly within the bounds of the county, which 

 is very irregular in its outline. Most of them are small spe- 

 cies, the only conspicuous one being Noctua triangulum y 

 which was reared by Mr Wilson from a larva found on Cor- 

 etorphine Hill in the spring. It is the first known instance 

 of its occurrence in this neighbourhood, though it is found at 

 Rannoch and in the west of Scotland. 



Noctua triangulum Corstorphine Hill. Mr Wilson. 



Simcethis pariana At rest on the bloom of ragwort. Belstane, 



on the Lanark road. August. 



Penthina prcelongana.. Bred from larvae on birch collected in the 



autumn of 1856 at Drumshorling. 



Gelechia notatella Bred from larvae on Salix caprcea, collected 



in 1856 at Drumshorling. 



ArgyrestMa pygmceella Bred from larvae on birch at Drumshorling. 



Ocnerostoma piniariella.... Beaten out of Pinus sylvestris at Drumshor- 

 ling, in May. 



Bucculatrix aurimaculellaJBYed from larvae in leaves of Chrysanthemum 



leucanthemum in Leven Quarry, Mussel- 

 burgh. 



Nepticula floslactella Beaten out of pines at Drumshorling in May. 



Nepticula — — ■• -? ......Birch at Drumshorling in April, and bred 



from miner in birch leaves collected at 

 Belstane in August 1856. 



As early as the month of February, the larvae of Spcelotis 

 lucernea were found in considerable numbers on the stony 

 debris of Salisbury Craigs, frequenting the driest and most 

 barren spots, where often the only vegetation was the common 



vol. i. 2 o 



