19 
Our Secretary, as usual, has given you a detailed account of the 
progress of our Society, and it would be superfluous for me to go over 
the same ground; therefore I will commence with a few points of 
interest connected with the Season’s collecting. 
During April there was nothing to indicate the approach of an 
unusually hot and early season. About the end of the month I paid a 
short visit to the neighbourhood of Ashdown Forest, and at that time 
there appeared quite a dearth of insect life. During a good ramble in 
the Forest I saw nothing but a hybernated Vanessa io, and a single 
• specimen of Pieris napi. 
By the 22nd of May things bore quite a different aspect, as we had 
then commenced to enter upon a period of unusual heat, and insect life 
was extremely abundant. I don’t think I ever knew Drepana cultiaria 
to be so numerous as it was at that date in Epping Forest. Not that 
this is by any means an early date, as I have known the species to be 
in full flight by the 1st of May, but that I believe was in the very hot 
year of 1868. 
On May 26th we had one of our Society’s excursions to Clandon, 
led by Mr. Shaw, and this was the only excursion of the season I was 
able to join. The list of insects taken was fairly numerous, and the 
outing was all that could be desired, but the attendance was scanty. 
The search for the ova of N. lucina occupied a considerable time, and 
the number of ova taken between us was quite large. One of the most 
interesting captures was a single specimen of Hepialns velleda, which 
was taken at dusk. This insect is generally considered to be one of 
our Northern species, and the time of appearance is given by Newman 
as July, whereas this specimen was taken on May 26th ; possibly those 
in the North of England are later. By June 5th the heat was beginning 
to assert its influence, and most of the insects usually fresh at that 
time were showing decided signs of wear, while a few others were 
making an appearance which seemed to me earlier than usual, 
particularly when compared with the year 1910. For instance, Eubolia 
plumbaria was taken on June 5th this year, whilst in 1910, within a 
few miles of the same place, I took it on August 19th. But perhaps 
it was not until July had set in that the full influence of the unusual 
heat had made its mark on insect life, when many things were a 
fortnight earlier than in a normal season. On July 2nd Argynnis 
aglaia was fully out in Cornwall, and Dianthoecia barrettii and I), 
conspersa were both over. Perhaps some of the most remarkable double 
broods that have been recorded are those of Limenitis sibglla and 
Vanessa io. The former was recorded by Mr. Gervase F. Matthew 
from the neighbourhood of Dovercourt, and the latter by Mr. TV. H. 
Harwood from Essex; both of these occurrences appear to be very 
unusual. The L. sibglla were seen on September 19th, and it was not 
a case of isolated specimens, but several were seen about that date. 
It may be that collectors do not record their captures as much as 
formerly, as the number of records in the journals of rarities taken 
during the year seems below the average, and considering the almost 
tropical summer we have had, we might well have expected something 
unusual in that way. 
On August 18th there is a note of Argynnis latlionia having been 
xxi. 
