158 



The Katuralist, 



In enumerating the captures that have come under my notice m 

 connection with the rambles of the Union; and from other sources, I 

 could wish to have included all orders. However, I am loth to confess 

 an apparent want of interest amongst the members in assisting at the 

 compilation of a full report, in consequence of which I fear the so- 

 called " neglected orders," althoagh they have received previously 

 some very able attention from Messrs. Roebuck, Mosley, Bairstow, 

 and others, will be quite unrepresented here. For this I am perhaps 

 in some measure to blame, seeing that I have not given sufficient 

 notice of my intention to put on record the noticeable features of the 

 year. Perhaps, in the course of another season, this state of things 

 will be improved, and we may then hope to see recorded a full report 

 of all captures in our county. 



For the lepidopterists the past has been by far the best year they 

 have had for some time, and I am happy to congratulate the Section 

 upon some portion of its work. For the first time since the com- 

 mencement of the Transactions, we have to record additions to the 

 list, of three species of macro-lepidoptera in one year, new to the 

 county. The first is Acidalia straminata, of which a few fine 

 specimens were taken on the occasion of the Union's excursion to 

 Thorne Waste, on the 9th July, by Mr. Prest, of York.* The second 

 species is Scoparia conspicualis ; several specimens of this insect were 

 also captured by Mr. Prest, at Sandburn, York, on the 7th August. 

 This species is new to science, and was added to the British list by 

 Mr. Hodgkinson this year. That gentleman determined and named 

 the species from specimens taken in the Lake District. The other is 

 Eupitlecia exiensaria, captured by Mr. Buck on Artemisia (wormwood) 

 at Spurn ; this insect has been determined by Mr. Prest from amongst 

 a number of all orders collected by Mr. Buck ten years ago. 



" There seems no reason to doubt the genuineness of this capture, 

 and if so, from the locality in which it was taken, its claim to be 

 considered a British species is much strengthened, the only other 

 recorded British capture being that by Mr. Sawyer ' on waste ground 

 near Hull, in June, 1873.' In that case the many facilities for 

 accidental importation made it most desirable that other specimens 

 should be observed, to at all justify its having a place on our list."-j- * 



RESULTS OF ENTOMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT 



MEETINGS OF THE UNION. 

 The first meeting and excursion of the year took place at Skipton, 



* See p. 24, Vol. vii. Nat. 

 + a T. Porritt, F.L.S., loc. cit., p. 117. 



