THE YOUNG 



NATUBALIST 



15 



scarcer than on the other side of the town, 

 and those that do occur are species that are 

 generally found in similar situation, such as 

 C. munitata, C. Hareortliii, M furva, 3{e 



The season upon the whole has been an 

 improvement on its predecessor, and al- 

 though some insects that are usually com- 

 mon were entirely absent, strange to say, 

 those that are generally scarcer were in 

 greater abundance than we have ever seen 

 them, and a perusal of the following list will 

 give some idea of how we were employed 

 during the season of 1883. To save space I 

 have only noted such species as are of some 

 importance, leaving out the commoner sorts 

 these being in their usual abundance, and 

 excepting an odd variety were seldom touch- 

 ed upon. 



April 6th was the first night that the net 

 was out, and although it was cold and gusty, 

 several multistrigaria were observed : be- 

 tween this and the 20th, although usually 

 common, only about half-a-dozen were set. 

 On the 13th of the same month, svffumata 

 appeared, but it was also rather scarce; 

 this insect here comes freely to sallow 

 bloom. May is generally a quiet month in 

 Lepidoptera, but during it badiata, illunaria, 

 rumicis, thalassina, punctaria, occur freely 

 here, but this season with the exception of 

 one (rumicis), were entirely absent. 4th 

 June, indigata and variata put in an appear- 

 ance, and continued up to the 18th, about a 

 dozen of each being taken. Plecta, basilinea, 

 batis, bidentata, and cubicularis appeared on 

 the nth June, but were scarce ; and pusaria 

 common. The 18th added piniaria and 

 velleda, common ; porphyrea and exanthe- 

 maria frequent , this last is usually common. 

 On the 19th, rurea, lucipara, thalassina 

 came, one of each, to sugar. Sugar was 

 only tried at intervals as it proved altogether 

 a failure here. The bloom of the Ragged 

 Robin {Lychnis flos-cuculi) was tried, and 

 one specimen of cucubali taken on the 28th ; 

 arcuosa, common (but not at the flowers) . 



30th June, piniaria common, Bouchardana 

 three, Adusta one, at rest on a pine trunk ; 

 occellata and pinivorana frequent ; picana, 

 subtristata, and alcliemillata common, and 

 litura one. 3rd July, impura, pectinitaria, 

 xantlwgrapha, common ; conigera one. 5th 

 July, at the Lychnis, bracts one ; festuccs 

 common ; capsincola one ; V-aurewn fre- 

 quent ; and hectus scarce, nth July, stag- 

 nate common. 16th July, iota and /estiva 

 scarce. 18th July, munitata common ; stra- 

 mineana, a few. 20th July, caudana com- 

 mon ; and a few of furva. 24th July, mar- 

 garitata common ; pyraliata and populata 

 usually common, only one of the former, 

 and the latter scarce. 



August 2nd, a few oi furva. Between this 

 and the 24th, I spent a fortnight on the 

 Cumbrse (Millport). This is usually a good 

 locality — at least, during this part of the 

 season, — but insects were very scarce, and 

 nothing taken worth recording. Returning 

 home on the 24th, I took elinguaria, the 

 first I have taken in this locality ; micaccea 

 and testata common. 25th, immanata com- 

 mon. 29th, fulva, usually plentiful, very 

 scarce. September 6th, selago, 1 ; Raworthii 

 a good few, at the flowers of Solidago Jaco- 

 bosa (ragwort) ; furva rather commoner than 

 usual, 18 being taken in five visits to its 

 locality ; caudana common ; augustana, a 

 few. October 5th, dilutata common ; 2 of 

 litura at sugar. November 3rd, brumata 

 common. 



This concludes my list of captures for 

 1883, and although, as I previously re- 

 marked, some of our usual takes we absent, 

 this was fully made up by an unusual 

 abundance of some of our good things. 

 Those that were above the average are, as 

 follows : — festucce, V-aureum, Haworthii, 

 furva and munitata. 



Larvae of various kinds have been more 

 abundant this autumn than they have been 

 for several years, and the fact promises well 



