122 REPORTS. 



Rkamiius catharticus and Rhamnus frangula, neither of which 

 plants are found here. It must, however, be able to subsist 

 on something else, as a few specimens of the butterfly may be 

 observed in most years. Cynthia cardai, the beautiful 

 "Painted ladj ," has been more than commonly numerous 

 during the past autumn. On the 18th of August a curious 

 variety of that garden pest, the " Currant moth," came to the 

 light in my study. It is much suffused with smok}^ black and 

 all the typical yellow markings are absent. (I have brought 

 it here to-night with a type specimen for comparison.) It is 

 a matter of regret, from a collector's point of view, that 

 interesting aberrations among the Lepidoptera of Guernsey 

 are very infrequent. I should imagine that the reason of this 

 is the lack of extremes in our climate. It has been determined 

 that the three chief factors in producing eccentric forms are 

 excessive heat, cold or moisture, and that these influences are 

 effective in producing variation chiefly immediately after 

 pupation ; this especially is the case in the influence of 

 moisture. For a very short time after pupation, the chitinous 

 covering of the pupa is soft and sensible to the effect of wet, 

 but after this has hardened moisture cannot penetrate. One 

 other insect alone deserves notice this year and that is the 

 pretty little Tortrix pronubana. I had the pleasure of first 

 discovering this moth in the year 1898. It had not then been 

 known in England, but as I predicted in the "Entomologists' 

 Record" (Vol. XII. 317), if search was made for it in the 

 South, where Euonymus is grown, it would be turned up in 

 the Mother Country. This prophecy was fulfilled a few 

 years later, and Mr. Robert Adhin bred a long series from 

 shoots of Euonymus growing at Eastbourne. My excuse for 

 recalling all this ancient history is that I regret to say that 

 I have reason to think the species is dying out with us. It 

 had become quite abundant in August, September and the 

 beginning of October, until the last three years, when I 

 began to notice its comparative scarcity. Last year I saw 

 but two examples in all. Should I unhappily be right in 

 my surmise, it is the less easy to understand the reason, as 

 Pronubana has proved to be by no means particular as to its 

 diet. It does not restrict its attentions to bushes like 

 euonymus, for I have found it feeding on such diverse plants 

 as the yellow toad flax and the garden geranium, and Mr. 

 Luft bred a specimen from the fruit of the tomato. It should 

 then find comfortable and abiding quarters in Guernsey. 



Frank E. Lowe, 



Secty. Entom. Section. 



