NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 
109 
about T2 to i8 inches from the ground. Now comes the difficulty! 
I have worked a certain hill on the chalk over 20 years for Scoria 
dealbata and Pachetra leucophcea, and there I take another five-spotted 
Zygczna commonly, but not so common as the Sandwich insect, which 
also has gone by the name of trifolii. There are, I believe, two 
species u*nder one name. The Sandwich insect is much larger and 
brighter than the chalk hill species, the spots deeper in colour, but the 
chief point is that the former insect always spins its cocoon high up on 
the grasses or rushes like Z. filipendulce^ the latter does not. I have 
for many years searched for the cocoon but never found it. They 
must either spin up close to or amongst the roots themselves. Perhaps, 
by pulling up the grass, they might be found occasionally, but I have 
never found a single one ; I have seen cocoons, which I have thought 
might be the “ Burnet,” but they have always turned out < 9 . dealbata. 
The late Mr. Sydney Smith of Walmer, and other collectors from Deal 
used to take the Sandwich insect and always called it Z. trifolii. About 
one specimen in ten would have the spots all joined together forming 
a large blotch. It would be interesting to know who really takes 
trifolii^ and whether they spin up on grasses, or is the Sandwich insect 
lonicera ? I have, this year, taken some very curious varieties of the 
chalk hill form, some no larger than meliloti, others* with the spots 
forming one blotch, their colour sometimes pinkish-yellow. I may 
add that the Sandwich insect does not appear so soon by a fortnight 
as the chalk hill one. — J. Parry, St. Paul’s, Canterbury, fuly, 1891. 
As we understand species, the different forms known collectively as 
ZygcBtia trifolii are very puzzling. The largest and most typical speci- 
mens of Z. trifolii I have ever received came from Mr. Boult, and 
were taken at Spurn. The only blotching that I have in these speci- 
mens is the union of the central pair of spots. These are very large, 
much larger than from any other locality. The smallest specimens I 
have ever taken were found in a marshy field in North Kent. In this 
field I never saw a pupa, never could find a pupa, and I am satisfied 
that the cocoon is not spun on the grass stems in that locality. These 
are nearly all blotched, sometimes two, sometimes three, and occasion- 
ally all five spots being joined. From the New Forest I have a long 
series of Z. trifolii almost as small as the North Kent specimens. I did 
not take these myself, so I dare say they were picked over, but none of 
these are blotched except the central pair of spots. These, however, 
are undoubtedly the same as the North Kent form. I have a long 
series of the Sandwich form from the same locality mentioned by Mr. 
Parry, and these vary exceedingly. Some are almost as large as the 
Spurn specimens some as small as those from North Kent. Many are 
blotched. This, however, forms quite a distinct race from either of 
those before-mentioned. An exactly similar lot came to me from 
Capt. Robertson, caught in South Wales, and his description of the 
latter locality corresponded almost exactly with that at Sandwich. I 
was on the latter ground last night and picked off some two or three 
dozen cocoons spun up on the sedges as mentioned by Mr. Parry. With 
regard, however, to the query as to these specimens being lo 7 ticerce, they 
decidedly are not. 
As to the different forms of Z. trifolii., there appears to be no doubt 
that the different local races are largely due to environment, and the 
