THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



May 3rd. Bembidium pallidipenne more 

 abundant at Crosby than I have ever before 

 seen it. (It remained out until July.) 



May igth. Larvae of 0 fascelina at 

 Crosby, on the Sallows. 



May 23rd. Pieris rapes and P napi in 

 great profusion by the roadside near Spital 

 and Bromborou'gh. T. tages was swarming 

 on the railway bank near the latter station. 



May 25th. " Whites " quite as abundant 

 at Liscard as on May 23rd at Spital. 



May 28th. " I have never seen such a 

 year for white butterflies." At Eastham, 

 to-day, P. rapce and P. napi swarmed. Haw- 

 thorn just coming into bloom ! 



June 2nd. Obtained several species of 

 Anaspis and Anthonomus, the former in 

 great abundance by beating hawthorn 

 blossom. Micropteryx calthella swarming 

 in buttercup flowers at Bromborougb. 



June 15. Larvae of ffib&rnice, &c, very 

 abundant on the oaks at Eastham. 



June 20th. Larva? of Agrotis prcecox have 

 been taken very abundantly by some of the 

 young collectors about Crosby. 



June 21st. Sugar at Wallasey. " One of 

 the best nights I ever spent at sugar." 

 About thirty species of Noctua were seen or 

 taken, among which, X. rurea (and var. 

 combusta), Lencanea comma, A. exolamationis, 

 E. lucipara, H. oleracea, N. plecta, and T. 

 pronuba were in swarms. 



June 28th. DyscMrii very abundant on 

 the Crosby shore, three species along with 

 Bledius arenar.Ui in profusion. 



July 14th. Lycoena cegon in swarms on 

 Bidston Hill, along with E. palumbaria in 

 still greater abundance. 



During several evenings sugaring I have 

 found T. pronuba and X. polyodon very com- 

 mon, but not more than usually so 



July 22nd. Cocoons of L. filipendulce 

 were excessively abundant all over the 

 Crosby sandhills. I collected a large num- 

 ber in a very short time, but did not obtain 

 any striking varieties. 



I have remarked that the larvae of A. caja 

 have not been so abundant as usual this. I 

 have seen only one specimen ofPiusia gamma 

 although I have not been out much lately < 

 Vanessa urticce has been quite as common 

 as usual in our parks, &c, and " Bembids" 

 have occurred on our shores in great abun- 

 dance, especially the long-lost (to our district) 

 Bembidium lunatwm, which has been turned 

 up by Mr. Smedley at Hightown and by 

 myself at Aigburth, in profusion in both 

 localities. — 101, Everton Road, Liverpool, 

 September 13th, 1881. 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



By J. E. Robson ; with figures from life by 

 S. L. Mosley. 

 (Assisted by Contributors to the Y.N.) 



PRUNI, Linn. PI. 18, Fig. 4. 



The Davk Hair-streak. 



" Pruni, L., Pru'ni, feeds on the Black- 

 thorn (Prunus spinosa.)" — A.L. 



Imago.— PI. 18., Fig. 4. Dark brown, 

 with a row of orange lunules at the hind 

 margin of the hind wing, most distinct at 

 the anal angle. Sometimes a trace of these 

 may be seen on the fore wing. Underside 

 greyish brown, with an orange band at the 

 hind margin, most distinct at the hind wing, 

 where it has a row of black lunules on the 

 outside, a row of black spots in silvery-blue 

 lunules on the inside, and a silvery-blue 

 line outside the black lunules. Hair streak 

 silvery-blue, across both wings, bending 

 round the hind margin of the hind wing. 



Larva. — I do not know the larva at all, 

 but is is described as of the usual shape, 

 dorsal depression rather shallow, colour 

 green, with yellowish lines. 



Pupa. — Probably like others of the 

 genus, short, smooth and stumpy, rather 

 like those of the genius. 



