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THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



NOTES ON LEPIDOPTERA 



TAKEN BY E. R. CURZON, ESQ., AT THE ISLAND OF HOY, ONE OF THE 

 ORKNEY ISLES, DURING THE SUMMER OF 1885. 



By C. S. GREGSON. 



In the "Entomologist," Vol. 15, for January, 1882, pages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 

 5, is a most interesting and instructive paper upon the Lepidoptera taken by 

 Mr. Meek's collector during four months summer collecting in Hoy, and if 

 the. readers of the ft Young Naturalist " will refer to that very valuable paper 

 it will save me much time and some repetition, and it will be seen that 

 though Mr. Curzon did not take several species which Mr. Meek's collector 

 did, Mr. Curzon took several other species that he did not take, thus adding 

 materially to our knowledge of the lepidoptera of Hoy. Mr. Curzon brought 

 the whole of his captures here, and we had ample time to examine them for 

 the next few days, and that peculiarities might be noted he placed his 

 duplicates most generously at my disposal, and I having availed myself of 

 his kindness, can now refer to and make notes from some of the specimens, 

 as I draw out the list of his captures at Hoy for 1885. 



Pieris brassica.— Plentiful. Very large and well-marked specimens. 



Chortobus davus. — Average size. Many specimens without ringlets, some 

 on which one or two small ringlets can be founds with a gloss here and there. 

 Upper sides light green colour edged with whitish grey. Under sides upper 

 wings greyish green, with a fawn coloured disk, across which is a faint per- 

 pendicular long lightish mark. Under wings greyish green, some specimens 

 have a triangular mark above the middle, and a very faint line from it to 

 the upper margin, below no indication of a band. Variety Orchadcz ? 



Lyccena alexis. — Very large and rich coloured, the males are such as I 

 have never seen either Foreign or British ; the females are also very large 

 and highly coloured. They are mostly of the variety Simplonia of our Swiss 

 friends. I have English specimens of this named variety, but they are not 

 nearly so large, nor are the white rays near the tips of the wings so well 

 developed as they are in these Hoy specimens. 



Arctla fidiginosa. — Fine. The darkest specimens I ever saw, not a particle 

 of red upon them. 



Hepialis humuli. — Large specimens, but no rarity amongst them. 



H. velleda. — Small light-coloured specimens. 



Chelonia plantaginis. — No peculiarity. 



Scotosia belgiaria. — Very light. 



Fidonia atomaria* — Variable as it always is. 



