46 



Individual Work by Members. 



Mr. Grace suggested to me that very valuable results might 

 in time accrue if members would give a statement at the end of 

 each season of their observations, captures, etc., during the 

 season and a general record printed each year in the Annual Pro- 

 ceedings. In accordance with this suggestion, several members 

 have furnished reports, the substance of which is given in the 

 digest prepared by Mr. Wallace and printed below. 



F.G.P. 



Entomological Report, 1917. 



Reports on entomological observations have been received 

 from Messrs. W. P. Curtis, F.E.S., E. H. Curtis, and Geo. 

 Grace, B.Sc, from which the following notes have been pre- 

 pared : — 



The outstanding feature of the 1917 season was the unusual 

 abundance of insect life throughout the year. This was especially 

 marked in the case of Pieris brassicce (the Large Garden White) 

 and P. rapce (the Small Garden White). In the opinion of Mr. 

 W. P. Curtis there was a migration of these insects about the 

 third week in April, 1917, following on a S.E. wind. They were 

 probably accompanied by Colias edusa (the Clouded Yellow), 

 Pyrameis atalanta (the Red Admiral), P. cardui (the Painted Lady), 

 Vanessa urticce (the Small Tortoiseshell), Vanessa Io (the 

 Peacock butterfly), and Phesia gamma (the Silver Y moth). Mr. 

 W. P. Curtis further states that the second brood of larvae of the 

 two Pierids (Garden Whites) was disastrously voracious, but the 

 parasitic Microgaster had by the third brood increased to such 

 an extent that the normal spring brood of 1918 will probably not 

 be very abundant. 



The Vanessidae were all extremely numerous in the Autumn. 



The exceptional abundance of insects is attr'buted by Mr. E. 

 H. Curtis to the remarkable scarcity of birds, most particularly 

 of residents, resultant upon the toll of the severe winter of 1916- 

 1917, which afforded little respite to bird life and, in h : s opinion, 

 the effect of this may be still more apparent in 1918, particularly 

 with spring feeding insects, though the wet August and September 

 may have modified this result by reason of the myriads of larvae 

 destroyed by excessive rain and moisture. 



In this connection Mr. W. P. Curtis attributes the fact that 

 the large Fritillaries reappeared in the Poole district with some 

 degree of abundance after a very long absence, partly to the great 

 reduction of pheasants, which destroy low feeding larvae like those 

 of Argynnis. 



In addition to the insects already named, Mr. Grace notes 

 that Satyrus semele (the Grayling) has been exceedingly pro- 

 minent, especially on the heath to the west of Talbot Woods, 

 where the paths, etc., afford excellent opportunities for the dis- 

 play of the striking similarity between the patterns of their wings 



