THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



205 



have been taken in the north of England ; 

 and the grey Autumnal Moth (Oporabia 

 filigrammaria), a northern species, to be 

 found in the day-time resting on the heath 

 stems in August and September. 



The following larvae are also feeding this 

 month : — 



SPECIES. COLOUR. FOOD PLANT. 



E apieiaria Grey Willow 



V. maeulata Green Nettle 



B hirtaria Brown Elm 



B. consortaria Reddish grey Oak 

 E.linariata Green Seeds of Linaria 

 L lobulata Dark green Sallow 



L. polycommata Green Honeysuckle 

 T juniper -ata Apple green Juniper 

 A. sinuata Yellow Bedstraw 



C. ^iadrifasciaHa Yellowish grey Low plants 

 Before I go on to describe any of the 



Noctuina for August, I will say a few words 

 about 



SUGARING. 

 There are two or three different ways of 

 preparing the " sugar," and each entomolo- 

 gist has his own opinion as to which is the 

 most effective. Many use simply coarse 

 sugar and beer ; others the same with the 

 addition of a little rum. A very good mix- 

 ture may be made of strong ale, honey, the 

 coarsest sugar, and the best Jamaica rum, 

 to which some add a few drops of oil of 

 bitter almonds. Half a pint of ale, half a 

 pound of honey, quarter of a pound of sugar 

 and half a wine glass of rum, will be found 

 the proper proportion to use. But, although 

 I have had plenty of success myself with 

 simply sugared beer and a little rum, the 

 mixture I recommend is the following : — 



Treacle One pound. 



Ale Half a pint. 



Rum Three tablespoonfulls. 



A little aniseed will greatly increase its 

 attractive power. Shake it all well up in a 

 wide-mouthed bottle, until the ingredients 

 are thoroughly incorporated ; when fit for 



use it should be about the consistency of 

 cream. The way to use it is to paint it on 

 the tree trunks and gate posts, at a con- 

 venient height — say between five and six 

 feet— from the ground. Put it on with a 

 small brush in a narrow stripe, and choose 

 such situations that you can readily box 

 the moths. You will find damp evenings 

 the most productive, and the first hour 

 after dusk the time when the moths come 

 moths come in greatest number. The best 

 form of box for securing the specimens is, 

 to my mind, a tin one, of an oblong form, 

 made to slip in and out of a cover after the 

 manner of a match box. There should be 

 two partitions, perforated with holes, en- 

 closing a narrow space in the centre. Fill 

 this narrow space with laurel leaves, crushed 

 to a pulp, or put in a piece of cotton wool, 

 soaked in benzole, and it is then ready for 

 use. I must, however, leave the subject of 

 sugaring for the present, and go to briefly of 

 the rarer 



Noctuina for August. 



The species I would specially make men- 

 tion of are Nonagria geminipuncta, Nonagria 

 typlice, AporqpJiylla australis, Agrotis puta, 

 Agrotis agathina, the northern Hydrcscia 

 petasitis, the more generally distributed 

 Cymatophora diluta, the scarce Agrotis obel- 

 ised, and the local A. lunigera. 



Nonagria geminipuncta is a fen species, to 

 be looked for among reeds. The forewings 

 are rather narrow, brownish ochreous in 

 colour, with two white spots in the place of 

 the reniform stigma, and two black dots 

 before the middle. The hind wings are 

 grey and the abdomen long. The expanse 

 of the wings is about an inch and a quarter 

 — less or more according to sex. 



Nonagria typ>hce is a much larger species, 

 being from i| to 2 inches in expanse of 

 wings. The fore wings are ochreous shaded 

 with brownish. There is a black line on 

 the hind margin and a row of dots in the 

 place of the inner line. It occurs in irany 



