6060 



Insects. 



the same date. It may not be uninteresting, in the case of so accidental a visitant to 

 our coast, to enumerate, as far as possible, the portions of herbs and grasses which 

 formed the contents of the stomach in this last instance. By far the larger portion 

 consisted of a long fine grass, apparently from the marshes, having a brackish odour; 

 and mixed with this, and matted together, was a species of Conferva from the ditches; 

 two flowers of the common daisy (Bellis perennis) were plainly discernible, as also a 

 narrow scolloped leaf, resembling cat's ear {HypochcEvis glabra) ; besides these a small 

 fragment of some thistle and a portion of the water ranunculus {Ranunculus aquatilis) 

 were all that could be identified. — H. Stevenson; Norivich, March 16, 1858. 



Notes on Scottish Lepidoptera in 1855-6.* By R. F. Logan, Esq. 



The communication I have to-night to lay before the Society is, as 

 its title imports, rather a collection of scattered notes than a regular 

 paper. 1 shall first enumerate a few insects which were added, during 

 the years 1855 and 1856, to the list of species occurring around 

 Edinburgh ; principally by the industry and energy of the Messrs. 

 Wilson. 



The first species on Mr. Wilson's list is Anisopteryx aescularia, of 

 which he obtained a single male specimen from Corstorphine Hill, in 

 the spring of 1855. It is probably frequently overlooked, like many 

 other brumal and vernal species ; but does not appear to be common 

 in Scotland. 



Eupithecia innotata. Of this scarce species the Messrs Wilson 

 obtained one specimen near Morningside in 1855; and have hitherto 

 been unsuccessful in their attempts to find more. The Rev. Joseph 

 Greene, in a recent number of the ' Zoologist,' states, that he believes 

 the food of the larva to be the ash {Fraxinus excelsior)-, and this is 

 still further confirmed by Mr. Crewe, who states, in the 'Naturalist,' 

 that he has taken it from that tree. Knoch, however, as quoted by 

 Treitschke, says, that it feeds on the various species of wormwood 

 {Artemisia Absinthium, vulgaris and carnpestris)^ living on the 

 blossoms in the month of August, and varying in colour from green 

 to brown. 



The curious little Noctua, Euplexia lucipara, although known to 

 occur in other parts of Scotland, had not apparently been observed 

 near Edinburgh till the summer of 1855, when Mr. Wilson obtained 

 a specimen on Corstorphine Hill ; and I afterwards found several, in 



Read before the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. 



