NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 
213 
Selenia illunaria^ i S. lunaria, i Notodonta dictcEa^ i N. camelina, i 
Cidaria russata, 4 Acidalia aversata (2 banded vars.), 2 Triphcena 
janthina^ i Hade 7 ia pisi, i H, oleracea^ 5 Melanthia ocellata^ i 
baja, 7 Coremia unidentaria^ 3 C. ferrugata^ 2 Eupithecia pumilata^ i 
Melanippe galiata, i E. siibfulvata^ 3 Eupithecia tenuiata^ 5 Boaruiia 
rho 7 nboidaria^ 2 N. tria 7 tgulu 77 i, i Leuca 7 iia palle 7 ts, and 1 Metroca) 7 ipa 
margaritaria, besides lots of others. Nothing whatever comes to 
sugar, though there are plenty of Noctu^ flying about, the ornamental 
heaths being the attraction. I have taken a few Agrotis tritici and 
one A. prcECOx by shaking the crests of the sand-rush. — R. B. 
Robertson, Sketty Park, Swansea. August^ 1891. 
Sphinx convolvuli in the Isle of Man. — On the evening of the 
25th August, Mr. Devereux captured at light a fine male specimen of 
SpiuTix co 7 ivolvuli. The insect is in fair condition, with the exception 
of the left underwing, which is slightly damaged. It measures 5!- inches 
across the wings from tip to tip, and is now in my collection. During 
the severe gale on the night of the 25th, the insect was probably 
blown into the enclosure across from Douglas Head. — H. Shortridge 
Clarke, 2, Osborne Terrace, Douglas, Isle of Man. Septe 77 iber ^fh, 
1891. 
Micropteryx thunbergella. — This species is very common in 
Chippenham Fen, where I get them swarming about the “ Bird-cherry ” 
blossom, and the young fir-cones. One day I saw them so thick in 
these last, that I boxed fifteen in one large chip box off the cone. — W. 
Farren, Cambridge. July, 1891. 
.OCIETIES. 
South London Entomological Society. — Septt 7 nber loth, 1891. — 
Mr. Russell exhibited a long series of Argy 7 i 7 tis sele 7 ie, captured in 
North Hants in July and August ; Mr. Carpenter, Dia 7 iihc^cia albi 77 iacula, 
bred from Folkestone, also Pericallia syrmgaria ; Mr. Frohawk, bred 
and captured Polyo 77 miatus phlceas for comparison ; Mr. Joy, two speci- 
mens of Boar 77 iia repaTidata from Grange-over-Sands, one intensely 
black, like those captured and bred by Mr. G. T. Porritt at Hudders- 
field. This was taken on the outskirts of a larch wood. Mr. Adkin, a 
series of Psodos coracina showing some variation in the band and 
ground colour ; Mr. Fenn, a fine variable series of Agrotis corticea from 
Deal, extending in ground colour from the palest grey to black ; Mr. 
Barker, Arctia villica with the apical spots more or less united, Spilo- 
so 77 ia lubricipeda, with the transverse row of spots showing a distinct 
band, also a dark A. caia \ Mr. Short, vars. of Arctia caia, the fore- 
wings with the pale parts tinged with red, also Ne 77 ieophila plaTitagmis ; 
Mr. Tugwell, specimens of English, Scotch and Irish Melitcea auruiia, 
and drew a comparison between vars. scotica and hiber 7 iica. Mr. Turner, 
various Coleoptera. Mr. Weir drew attention to the fact that there 
were in existence specimens of A. caia with black antennae. Mr. Car- 
rington, with reference to Mr. Joy’s exhibit, said that melanism was 
now generally supposed to be due to the darkening of surfaces and trunks 
of trees, by smoke, etc., or to dark geological strata, the process of 
