248 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[November 



The season is now drawing to a close, and although we may take 

 many of the above during the next two or three months, it is as well 

 to get them as soon as possible, for most of the stems get broken off 

 and scattered by the gales of wind we get occasionally through the 

 winter months. 



vShepherdess Walk, London, N. 



Notes. 



Sphinx convolvuli i\ Aberdeenshire. — My sister captured a 

 fine male 5. convolvuli on the 12th September, while it was hovering 

 over honeysuckle flowers, at dusk. — Wm, Reid, Pitcaple. 



Sphinx Convolvuli at Hartlepool. — A fair specimen was caught 

 on the sea wall here, and brought me on October 19th. I have also 

 heard of other two being taken in the town. — John E. Robson, 

 Hartlepool. 



Ypipsipetes Ruberata in Aberdeenshire. -Several years ago a 

 few" specimens of the above were said to have been taken near 

 Aberdeen, but as it was never seen again, {^although there is a large 

 staff of entomologists resident in the city), it was thought by many 

 that the few taken had been recorded in error, or that they were only 

 "escapes" from someone's breeding cage. I have now been able to 

 dissipate this idea, having quite recently found ruberata in several 

 localities near home, and have also discovered the larvae feeding on 

 sallow. I expect it will be found to be sparingly, but widely 

 distributed over the whole County. — Wm. Reid, Pitcaple, N.B. 



Acronycta aceris. — I see that I was indeed so unfortunate as to 

 miss Dr. Buckell's reference to Cuspidia aceris in the Ent. Rec, Vol. I, 

 p. 130. This being the first appearance of the name [i.e. Cuspidia \ 

 aceris, not Cuspidia, Chapm., or aceris, L.), it should be quoted in 

 synonymic lists, &c., when precision is required, as Cuspidia aceris, 

 (L.) Buckell — that is, unless Dr. Buckell repudiates the authorship of 

 the name, and can show that the editor altered his MS. I can w^ell j 

 imagine how needless all this must seem to most of those who read 

 this note; and, of course, in the ordinary way, and in the catalogues 

 intended only to be used as check-lists, we are usually satisfied to 

 write aceris, L., whatever genus we place it in. But the method I 

 advocate is the only one which is strictly accurate, and it is followed 



