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Morley : Lepidoptera of South Yorkshire. 



The following were very common : — Hadena dentina, 

 H. thalassina, H. adiista, H. pisi, H. oleracea, Aplecta nehulosa, 

 Mania typica, Xylophasia scolopacina (at Haw Park, Wakefield), 

 X. lithoxylea, Mamestra fiirva, Cymatophora duplaris, Cosmia 

 paleacea, Orthosia suspecta, and many others were frequent 

 visitors to the * sugar ' patches. Flowers also proved to be 

 well worth attention. Sallows, of course, produced nothing 

 worthy of special mention, owing to the wintry weather when 

 they had come into bloom. The flowers of campion and 

 wound-wort had many visitors, including Plusia chrysitis, P. 

 iota, P. pulchrina, with many of the species mentioned above. 

 Ragwort also was much patronized. Heather had much 

 attraction for Noctua glareosa, N. dahlii, Hydrcecia nictitans, 

 and many others. 



After mid-September, ' sugar ' lost its attraction for the 

 noctuse, and nothing of much interest occurred as a result of 

 its use during autumn. Other noctuae, for which neither 

 ' sugar ' nor flowers have little attraction, now claim notice. 

 An effort made to turn up Hydrcecia petasitis resulted in the 

 species being found common at Huddersfield and Normanton. 

 It no doubt occurs in most places in the West Riding, where 

 butter-bur is plentiful. 



Polia chi w^as exceedingly common, and was perhaps the 

 most interesting species of the year in the Skelmanthorpe 

 district. Its habit of sitting on the walls in the day time, 

 gives the collector fine chances of taking his choice without 

 much trouble. Careful search this season was rewarded with 

 good results, its variety olivacea was common, as w^as also a 

 very heavily marked form, not referable to olivacea. Another 

 form frequently found has the wings a drab colour, with all 

 the markings obliterated, except the black chi mark, which is 

 very small and well defined. It is a very fine and beautiful 

 form, probably of recent development, and the most decided 

 variation from the type w'e have noticed in the Skelmanthorpe 

 neighbourhood. Dasypolia templi has been common on the 

 street lamps in this district, and two specimens are reported to 

 have been taken at Lartington, near York. 



On the moors near Penistone, larvae of Bomhyx var. calluncB 

 were common, and the imagines of Cloantha solidaginis, Larentia 

 multistrigaria, L. ccBsiata, Oporahia filigrammaria and Anavta 

 myrfilli were very plentiful. 



The season seems to have been a good one for Acherontia 



Naturalist, 



