NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 
209 
disappearing until June loth. On June 30th, I turned out the pots, 
and, in addition to the eight pupae on the surface, found I had 
seventy-two more which had formed a brittle cocoon of silk anc 
earth. There were also a large number of dead larvae. Out of these 
pupae I bred thirty-one perfect moths and two cripples, the first 
emerging on the 12th, and the last on the 27th of July. Some days 
afterwards, I opened the remaining cocoons, and found a large 
number contained the dead larvae only, and in seven instances the 
perfect imago, which had failed to emerge. I still have thirteen 
pupae, which may be lying over, but are possibly dead. I should add 
that one specimen (emerged 25th July) is perfectly hermaphroditic — 
the right side, antenna, crest of thorax, both wings and anal tuft, being 
male, and the left side correspondingly female, so I feel somewhat 
repaid for the trouble they gave me to pull through. The larvae were 
too crowded or I might have had better success, and no doubt the 
railway journey, on bringing them from Portland to Shorncliffe in 
February, did not conduce to their welfare. — E. W. Brown, Shorncliffe. 
August 2^ih, 1891. 
Notes on Stilbia anomala. — As I have again been successful in 
taking this insect in some abundance, I think a few notes upon it may 
perhaps be acceptable to readers of the Record. I worked for it on six 
nights at the beginning of August, viz.., the ist, and the 3rd to the 7th 
inclusive, the locality being a high and exposed position on Cannock 
Chase. Owing to the lateness of the season, the insect was only just 
out on the ist, and consequently in first class condition. I took three 
on August ist, twenty-five on the 4th, forty-eight on the 5th, and 
twelve on the 7th; the remaining two nights, the 3rd and 6th, 
were cold and windy, the latter being also very clear, and at such times 
they do not appear to fly at all. They began to make their appearance 
about 7 p.m., and continued till about 8.30. The insect is very con- 
spicuous on the wing, the ample lower wings making it appear almost 
white when flying : it gets up suddenly out of the heather and short 
grass, flies ten or twelve yards, and then drops down again, folding its 
dark upper wings closely over the lower ones, and thus in a moment 
becoming almost invisible, so that, unless one marks very exactly the 
spot where it falls, it is impossible to detect it. Frequently, however, 
it will fly up again almost directly, when, of course, it may be 
“ snapped ” with the net. Anotnala continues out for some time, but 
very soon loses its freshness, and many of the specimens I took, even 
under such favourable circumstances, are more or less imperfect. The 
female makes its appearance a week or more later than the male ; I 
never saw one, but my friend Mr. Freer, of Rugeley, going up to the 
ground about a week later, succeeded in taking three, his total catch 
on that evening being seventy-seven. The weather undoubtedly 
exercises a considerable influence on the flight of anomala, my largest 
number (forty-eight) being taken on a very still evening, when the flies 
were exceedingly troublesome and a thunderstorm was impending ; 
while, on August 6th, when it was very cold, though fine, and a strong 
N.W. wind was blowing across the Chase, not a specimen was to be 
seen. Mr. Freer and I repeatedly crossed the ground during the 
daytime, but never succeeded in disturbing any a^iomala, though two 
specimens flew off palings in the early evening. We occupied our 
