NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 
253 
S^. Anne^s-on-ihe-Sea . — The season with us has been an exceptionally 
good one, although August and September have proved unpropitious. 
Peronea hastiana has disappointed us ; we intended to breed a large 
number, but with all our efforts have succeeded in obtaining about 
150 pupae only. Gracilaria stra^nineella^ Depressaria ocella 7 ia^ yeatiella^ 
heracleana^ subpropinquella^ arenella and nanatella have all turned up, 
but owing to the bad weather we have not paid much attention to 
them. Having collected a lot of stems of ^nanthe crocata with larvae 
and pupae inside, we bred hundreds of Depressaria nervosa^ and had 
to stop setting them from sheer monotony. Eppipiphora populajia^ 
Choreutes scintillulana, Gelechia temerella and sororculella turned up in 
good numbers. Round the gas lamps we have also had fair sport. 
PJeuria popularis and Luperina cespitis turning up in good numbers 
with swarms of L. testacea. About a fortnight ago I got two PlatypUlia 
gonodactyla on a lamp, and yesterday we had a fine imago of Acherontia 
atropos brought us, which had come to the light at a signal-box, and 
was kept for us by the signalman, who affirmed its identity not as a 
moth but as a bat, and informed us that it squeaked. — Holmes 
Baxter, St. Anne’s-on-the-Sea. October 1891. 
Reading . — Until this last week, when we have had really cold nights 
with a touch of frost, I have to record a really favourable time for 
sugar. At one locality near here, Xanthia citrago have been quite 
extraordinary as regards numbers, but I have taken no varieties nor 
have I heard of any having been taken. One collector and myself 
took about 180 one night, and, a week later, I heard they were still 
swarming in hundreds, but we could not spare the time as X. aurago 
was then out and the space and time for finding them is so limited; this 
year was better than the last three, for we got on an average 16 each 
night between us, and with them a fair sprinkling ot the rosy orange 
var. At the same time X. gilvago favoured us with occasional visits, 
two to four each night, also Epicnda lutuleiita, of which hitherto about 
one each year has been taken here, my friend and I secured seven. I 
have not heard whether any of the other collectors have seen it. We 
have had several new names to add to our list of captures, Noctiia 
gla 7 'eosa being one of them, but that we could not follow up for the 
same reason that drew us from X. citrago. I have also only tried one 
evening for Sphinx convolvuli^ which did not put in an appearance, 
although the garden was full of flowers, including the tobacco plant. 
My best evening for captures was on September 14th, on which night we 
took over 300 specimens, chiefly X. citrago., Asphalia diluta., N. glareosa 
and Hadena protea. — E. C. Bazett, Reading. October ^th, 1891. 
Aberdeen . — This season in the north of Scotland has been the worst 
I have ever experienced. I hoped that the autumn might turn out well 
after such a bad summer but in this I am disappointed. I sugared in 
a wood near here to-night (Saturday, October loth), and the following 
list gives the result of my captures : — 2 Cerastis vaccinii, i Anchocelis 
rufina, i A. litura^ i Scopeloso 77 ia satellitia, i Agriopis ap 7 'ili 7 ia, and a 
few Chesias spartiata at rest on broom. What a change from what I 
have seen in the same wood at this time of year ! — A. Horne. 
October \2th, 1891. 
York . — There has been a great falling off in the captures in our 
immediate neighbourhood since September. With but one or two excep- 
