NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 
41 
and satelliiia also occurred. One or two fine dark insiabilis and populeti^ 
and dark and rich coloured sta bills were observed. Leucographa was 
very scarce. — T. A. Chapman, Firbank, Hereford. Aprils 1891. 
Flowers attractive to Moths. — Mr. Percy Russ, having in this 
month’s Record mentioned some flowers attractive to moths, it occurs 
to me that I should draw attention to a plant which appears to have 
hitherto been little noticed in this country, but which, during my 
early experience in Germany, has proved more attractive than all 
others, not even honeysuckle excepted. This is the common soap- 
wort {Sapo?taria officinalis). In an abandoned bed of the river Lahn 
near my native town, this plant grows in large patches where manv 
of us used to collect nightly, and at twilight captured most of the 
Sphingidcz notably Deilephila elpenor^ D. porcellus, Sphinx pinastri 2iX\d 
S. convolvuli., the two latter appearing season after season, often in 
surprising numbers ; also some of the Cucullice and many other Nocture. 
With the exception of the Isle of Man, I have no recollection of 
having seen this plant in cultivated gardens in England, but I think 
those who possess suitable grounds should give it a trial, It is very 
easily transplanted. I have seen it growing in profusion on the rail- 
way bank in front of the signal-box at the Stamford Hill Station, 
London. — J. Jager, 180, Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill. 
March 21st, 1891. 
Notes on Coleoptera in the Hastings district. — At the be- 
ginning of the recent winter I took several good species of Coleop- 
tera in moss. At Hollington Wood in a small patch of moss 
bordering a pathway I found seven Ccenopsis fissirostris., six C. waltoni 
and one Tropiphorus carinatus besides a number of common speci-s 
including Olophrum piceum, Othius fnlvipen 7 iis., J'achyporus brunneiis, 
Apteropeda graminis, etc., and, in a tuft, a single specimen of 
Plinthus caliginosiis. At Ore, in moss, I took about a dozen Tropi- 
phorus carinatus., five Ccenopsis waltoni, and numerous common species 
including Philofithus marginatus, Stenus declaratus, Liosomus ovatulus, 
Otiorhynchus ligneus, etc. After the severe weather, Coleoptera were 
hard to find, and the few species I managed to turn up were of tlie 
commonest description. — A. Ford, Claremont House, Upper Tower 
Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea. 
Recent Experience on Hybernating Larv^. — x\ difference of 
opinion seems still to exist as to whether hybernating larvae, feeding 
on low growing plants, such as plantain, dandelion, Glechorna, Lamium, 
etc., should be placed out of doors exposed to all weathers, or on 
growing plants in a conservatory or some such house which is 
necessarily at a higher temperature than the external atmosphere. 
Having just successfully wintered a brood of Callimorpha hera from 
ova, I will state how I succeeded, as well as failed on a former oc- 
casion. Three seasons ago I placed some young larvae of this species 
on a plant of Laniium purpureum out of doors, which in due time 
died off. Out of that lot only four per cent, survived, the rest having 
evidently succumbed to the cold. Having objection to place my 
present contingent of larvae on a growing plant, for reasons given later, 
I put them into my conservatory on cut bunches of Lamium pur- 
pureum. The food being kept in water remained fresh during the 
winter months, until it could be replaced early in the year, the 
