164 



THE YOUNG NATUKALIST. 



a second edition it will be differently described. The Capsophila are darker 

 brown than the Irish examples in my collection, and also a little larger* 

 Conspersa is prettily marbled, but I think would be difficult to differentiate 

 from darker specimens from the south. It is neither so large nor so dark 

 as the few specimens of this insect 1 have taken here. Lucernea is the 

 darkest I remember seeing, but it is not so large as some I have from other 

 localities. They are a very interesting lot, and a welcome addition to my 

 collection. — John E. Kobson, Hartlepool. 



Sugaring at Deal. — 1 went to Deal on the 7th July and stayed a few 

 days. Ochrata was only just coming out, and will be very rare (end of June 

 is the ordinary time.) Littoralis, only just out. Ccscana I made a special 

 journey for and never saw. 1 did nothing up to the Tuesday, when I made 

 a final rush for the sandhills. Gel. distinctella and desertella were the only 

 inseets in abundance, and they did not care to fly. About eight, the wind 

 dropped and I got my little fellow to put on the treacle. He had hardly 

 finished when (about nine) the wind increased almost to a gale. I could 

 scarcely keep the lantern alight, and to make matters worse, rain came on in 

 torrents. There was no shelter, but we were provided with mackintoshes, so 

 I looked at the sugar. The posts were alive with insects : .Exclamationis, 

 segetum, polyodon, pronuba, &c, fought in crowds for room, until they were 

 blown off by the wind. How they managed to stand at all was a mystery* 

 I filled up all my boxes in about 20 minutes, with fine vars. of Corticea, 

 littoralis, sublustris, and such like sandhill specialities, and after they were all 

 filled I looked and longed. I could have filled 500 boxes with really useful 

 insects, had I had them. I found Aceris tridens (a splendid form) triangu- 

 lum, pntris, and such like species that probably had never been seen on the 

 sandhills before, for there are no woods for miles around. Aceris was on a 

 gate post facing the sea, and clinging like grim death. It is a puzzle where 

 he came fron. I took all I could box and returned. I do not care for too- 

 many in one box, but some of them had three in, and I found my nights 

 work was about a gross and a half of insects. The greater mass were good 

 Noctua varieties. Such a night does not happen often, and I would put up 

 with a drenching every night for a long time under similar conditions. The 

 most marvellous part of the matter relating to the grandest and most exciting 

 night's collecting I have mentioned above, is that on Saturday and Sunday 

 nights, my total at sugar on the same ground were 14 all told, and two of 

 these were brown varieties of Polyodon. Where do they get to* on these un- 

 productive nights ? They do not fly, but must be present in thousands. If 

 they will not come to sugar it is rarely of use working the marram flowers,, 

 bnt when it is a good night at sugar, it is generally good at flowers also.- — 

 T. W. Tutt, Westcombe Park, London. 



