FORTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT, FOR I907. 
stale before taken, and the third laying was thus postponed until 
the climbing season had terminated, as the interval for relaying, 
after sitting some days, was naturally greater than if the eggs 
had been taken when quite fresh. Most of the eggs of this third 
laying were hatched off in consequence. 
The following Officers were elected for 1908 : — 
President — Riley Fortune, Harrogate. 
Secretaries— T. H. Nelson, Redcar ; E. W. Wade, Hull ; H. B. 
Booth, Shipley ; W. H. Parkin, Shipley. 
Representativ^e on Executive — R. Fortune. 
Representative on Committee of Sug'gestions — A. White. 
Entomological Section. — Mr. A. Whitaker writes : — I 
have before me nearly thirty letters from friends residing in different 
parts of the county to whom I would here like to express my 
indebtedness for many interesting and valuable notes on the past 
year's work. 
The season is almost unanimously voted to have been one 
of the worst on record for Lepidopterists. The cold and wet 
weather which prevailed during spring and summer have been 
unpropitious to almost all species, in the case of butterflies 
especially, even the most common kinds have been conspicuous 
by their absence. 
"Sallows" were a failure. Of all my correspondents, two 
or three only appear to have had any success by this method of 
collecting, and even they had but a short harvest — one or two 
good nights only. 
" Sugaring" has proved even worse, and has been designated 
"A miserable failure," "Altogether useless," "Absolutely un- 
productive," and "Never worse," etc. Those collectors who had 
patience to endure to the end, found the sugaring in late autumn 
slightly better, the more common species then coming sparingly. 
The phenomenal swarms of Aphides during September, and 
consequent prevalance of "Honey-dew," probably provided the 
moths with a plentiful food supply, and made them not only inde- 
pendent of "sugar," but also of such attractions as heather, ivy, 
and flowers generally, all of which were unattractive throughout 
the autumn. 
One result of the exceptional weather has been that the times 
of emergence have been very materially affected, and in the case 
of many species viost unusual. Probably many moths have lain 
over in the pupal stage, and the warm dry weather in September 
caused a fair percentage of these to emerge, for more than half of 
my correspondents record instances of summer moths occurring in 
late autumn. The majority of species did not make their appear- 
ance until some weeks after their usual time. 
