THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
J67 
are called “palms”), it will be read with 
interest by many an incipient. 
“ About the 15th of March I first went 
out to the sallows, which were in flower, 
to look for moths. My plan for taking 
them is to hold a net under the sallow 
branches, and then strike them smartly 
with a stick, when the Nocture fall and 
remain motionless in the net, and with 
a light I select those specimens which 
I want. The Geometrae are not quite so 
easily taken, as many of them fly off. 
At the time above-mentioned Tccnio- 
campa cruda , slabilis and gothica were 
plentiful, and in two or three days they 
abounded to such a degree that I had 
seventy in my net at once from one 
sallow bough. T. instabilis now made 
its appearance in countless numbers, the 
specimens varying greatly in size and 
colour. A few specimens of T. Populeti 
and gracilis have also been captured ; 
one of T. munda, a small number of 
Xylocampa lilhorhiza, and others which 
I shall soon enumerate. From capturing 
such immense quantities I have been 
enabled to form a pretty correct idea of 
the relative scarcity of the species in the 
neighbourhood, as well as the varieties of 
the respective kinds, and which I will 
now endeavour to show you. 
“ Tceniocarnpa gothica. Excessively 
numerous ; I believe I have seen at least 
a thousand specimens in the last two 
weeks. Very variable in colour; I have 
one specimen of a brilliant purple-red. 
“ T. slabilis. Equally numerous with 
the last, and varying in colour from a very 
pale drab to bright red-brown. Very 
variable in size. 
“ T. instabilis. Extremely abundant 
at this time (March 31st), and in beauti- 
ful condition. Far more variable than 
either of the above. I have some splen- 
did varieties, — one exactly the colour of 
Uadena Pisi, others almost black. The 
light varieties are far rarer than the 
darker ones. 
“ T. cruda. Plentiful, but not nearly 
so common as the three preceding spe- 
cies, aud but slightly variable. 
“ T. Populeti. This seems a rare spe- 
cies here; I have only captured six spe- 
cimens, which differ but little from each 
other. 
“ T. gracilis. This delicately-coloured 
insect is just appearing; I have only ob- 
tained seven, all males. I believe it 
is far from a numerous species in this 
vicinity. 
“ T. munda. One male is the only 
specimen I have captured ; it seems 
very uncommon. 
“ T. rubricosa. Of this beautiful in- 
sect I have only obtained six specimens ; 
it seems rare. 
“ Cerastis Vaccinii and Scopelosoma 
Satellitia.. These species have occurred 
pretty commonly, but of course in faded 
condition, having lived through the 
winter. 
“ Xylocampa lilhorhiza. A few spe- 
cimens have occurred. 
“ Hibernia progemmaria. Plentiful. 
“ Anticlea badiata. Not uncommon. 
This insect is certainly not double- 
brooded. 
“ Phaslye miata. Common. This in- 
sect appears late in the autumn as well 
as at this time of the year ; but from the 
freshness of the specimens I think they 
cannot have hybernated ; it is probable 
some remain in the chrysalis till the 
spring. 
“ In consequence of the success at- 
tending my visits to the sallows in the 
forest, I cut some boughs and brought 
them home, and having stuck them in 
the hedge of our garden, found that 
they attracted abundance of Noctuae. — 
H. Doubleday, Epping ; March 31, 
1841.” 
In the above extract the names now 
used have been substituted for those 
then in use, in order to render it readily 
intelligible to those unversed in the 
history of the last three or four changes 
of nomenclature. 
