8242 



Insects. 



went out, later on in the summer, for beetles, butterflies and bugs, nothing was noticed 

 but wasps ; and in the autumn their numbers had not diminished. How are we to 

 account for this superabundance of wasps, when even the common house-fly was not 

 found as usual in the cream-jug at breakfast, nor on the sugar at tea ? Such, however, 

 was the case, and such also was the case in the year 1853 — the same superabundance 

 of wasps, the same scarcity of other insects. 



Lepidoptera : — Butterflies it was no use looking after. The Orange-tip I saw but 

 once ; the Tortoise-shell, one on Good Friday and one since ; one Red Admiral, no 

 large Whites and but few small ones; the Meadow Browns, where were they? did 

 anybody see them ? The Blues held their ground for a few days in extremely limited 

 numbers, and then they disappeared. But I must not omit mentioning, in order to 

 keep up the spirits of our younger brethren of the net and pin, the occurrence of three 

 of our rarer Sphingida? io the district — Acherontia Atropos (Death's Head) was cap- 

 tured at Wylam, Sphinx Convohuli at Newcastle, and Deilephila Galii at South 

 Shields. Moths were few, and in many instances of smaller size than usual ; this was 

 the case also in the South, probably the effect of cold and damp upon the larvae. 



Coleoptera : — Land beetles of all kinds were scarce, and water beetles it was par- 

 ticularly remarked were in greatly diminished numbers ; some of common occurrence 

 were rare; others, local, have not been found. The common cockchafer I only saw 

 three times all the summer, and the coastchafer (Anomala Frischii), though sought 

 for particularly in its usual haunts (the links beyond South Shields), where it was 

 abundant last year, has not been seen. 



Hymenoptera : — Bombi few, but their parasites, the Apathi, one kind particularly 

 (Apathus campestris) was common in the autumn : this is another problem which 

 wants elucidation. Other bees rare, exceedingly so. Ichneumons and sawflies the 

 same. 



Diptera : — From the daddy-longlegs to the smallest black dung-fly, in greatly 

 restricted quantities. 



Such has been the state of the insect world during the season in this part of the 

 country, and, though want of success may have damped the ardour of some young 

 beginners, I hope in no instance that the fire has been quite extinguished, but trust 

 that the sight of their empty boxes and blank spaces will, when the spring returns, 

 give them a new impetus to pursue this very interesting branch of Natural History — 

 Entomology. — V. R. Perkins, in ' Transactions of Tyneside Nuturalisfs Field Club. 



Captures near York. — I have taken eleven specimens of Agrolis agathina off the 

 flowers of the heath, together with Noctua neglecta, of which latter I have also bred 

 fourteen fine specimens, varying in colour from deep red to pale drab. I found the 

 larvae in the spring feeding on the dwarf sallow. Nonagria fulva, Apamea fibrosa, 

 Miana arcuosa, Noctua umbrosa and Toxocampa Pastinum I have taken pretty freely. 

 — J. H. Dossor ; East Parade, Heworth Road, York. 



Occurrence of Argynnis Lathonia in Britain. — 1 observe that the occurrence of 

 A. Lathonia so long ago as the year 1852 has been noticed in the last number of the 

 ' Zoologist ' (Zool. 8204). I was not before aware that any doubt existed as to its 

 having occurred many times. Eight localities are named for it in Mr. Stainton's 

 ' Manual.' In either 1858 or 1859 (I cannot distinctly remember in which of these 

 years) seventeen specimens were reported to have been taken in this neighbourhood. 

 I cannot in any way vouch for the truth of this, but 1 think it probable that some were 

 taken. I can, however, speak with certainty as to one instance in which this insect 



