178 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



above— is a common ; insect in the south of 

 England, The silver u stars" are on the 

 underside, the upper-side is bright brown 

 spotted with black. The caterpillar has 

 long spines from each of which proceeds 

 several smaller ones. It feeds on the dog 

 violet and the larva should be looked for 

 about the end of May or beginning of June. 



The White Admiral (Limenitis sibylla) is 

 another southern insect flying now, while 1 

 the Small Ringlet (Erebiacassiope), the Scotch 

 Argus (Erebia Blandina), and the Moor 

 Ringlet — as I prefer to call it rather than 

 " Marsh Ringlet"— (Chortobius .davus) are all 

 northern species of butterflies. Mr. 

 Shuttleworth records in the Entomologist 

 that the latter was plentiful upon Meathop 

 Moss, near Witherslack last July, although 

 he says they were nearly all males and rather 

 worn, while on the other hand specimens he 

 took on Faraway Moss were all females and 

 in splendid condition. I fear I have not 

 space to speak of any more butterflies, 

 numerous as they are at midsummer, I 

 should like to have said a few words about 

 Thecla pruni, T. W '-album, Lyccena acis, and L. 

 avion, but I must dismiss them with the 

 mere mention of their names, and turn to 

 the moths. 



At this time of the year DeiUphila galii flies 

 about flowers very early in the morning, and 

 those who desire to capture it must be " up 

 with the lark." Sesia Apiformis looking very 

 much like a large hornet, should be sought 

 for on the trunks of poplars in the south of 

 England. The more generally distributed 

 Sesia bembeciformis may sometimes be found 

 about the neighbourhood of Sallows. It 

 has a blackish head, while apiformis has a 

 yellow one, and the last has also a yellow 

 patch on each side of the thorax ; in Bem- 

 beciformis the thorax is black with a yellow 

 collar. 



Sesia ichneumoniformis with its six or seven 

 yellow belts, and S. myopiformis, with its 

 single red ring round the abdomen are other 



" clear wings" to be met with now in the 

 south. They are both about the size of the 

 common Clear-wing (S. tipuliformis), 



Lithosa complana and L. quadra also fly now. 

 The former is distinguished from Lithosia 

 complanula by the yellow stripe on the costa 

 being of equal width throughout, and not 

 attenuated to a point at the- tip, as in the 

 common Footman moth. L. quadra is readily 

 recognized by its large size and the four 

 black spots on the female. 



Eulepia cribrum with its white fore wings 

 marked with bands and streaks, and two 

 black spots near the middle of each wing is 

 another moth occurring in July. I only 

 know personally of one locality for it and 

 that is the New Forest. 



The scarce Orgya ccenosa, with its smoky 

 white wings' occurs among reeds in the fens, 

 and the local Ground Lackey (Bombyx 

 castrensis) comes out towards the middle of 

 July, and may be taken in some abundance 

 in the Isle of Sheppey, which seems to be 

 its favourite habitat. 



Dasydia obfuscata flies in July on the Scotch 

 mountains, and the Black Mountain Moth, 

 as Newman calls it, occurs in the same 

 localities. The fore wings are shining dark 

 grey, with two serrated lines across enclosing 

 dark central spot. 



Collectors who live in the north of Eng. 

 land should look out now for the grey 

 Venusia cambricaria in places where the moun 

 tain ash grows. The grey Larentia coesiata 

 is also still on the wing, and its yellowish 

 green larva with its row of triangular red 

 spots down the back should be sought for 

 on heath towards the end of the present 

 month. The greyish ochreous Emmelesia 

 taniata may perhaps be found by the ento- 

 mological visitors to the lakes. Emmelesia 

 ericetaria is another northern species, flying 

 in June and July. The fore wings are pale 

 grey with three darker bands. In size it is 

 small, the largest specimens being nine lines, 

 and the smallest seven lines in expanse of 



