29 
laid on damp sand. I know of no easier insect to force, they respond 
almost at once, and I bred out hundreds in January and February. 
S. andreniformis will force also, but the change to pupa and imago is 
much slower; if collected in November they will emerge in January as 
a rule if kept very warm. I forgot to mention I bred seven or eight 
culicifornris with yellow band. 
After I had got tired of working culicifornris I had a go at S. 
bembeciformis; this I found common in a large bed of Salix caprea, it 
was not as easy work getting these as andreniformis, as some of the 
stems were large and required a good bit of sawing off. One also had 
to look out not to take the Musk beetle by mistake, as they feed in a 
very similar way to S. bembeciformis. I secured a considerable number 
in the winter, and it was just as well, as in the spring they were 
attacked by some bird, and I fear almost cleared out. I never saw 
such havoc as the birds made, and it is a marvel to me what bird can 
have done it; the bill must have been very strong, as large stems 
thicker than ones wrist were torn open just where the larva had spun 
its cocoon. I exhibited some of the sticks here, and you will no doubt 
remember them. This insect can be forced also but responds slowly ; 
I did not breed any before March. 
I visited Joyden’s Wood in February, where H. leucophaaria is very 
common, but only found two or three ; several visits produced very few, 
and I think it was scarce here. In March and April I spent a few days 
in larvae searching—in all my favourite spots I found A. caja, villica, 
potatoria, L. quercifolia, B. quercus almost non est where as a rule they 
are in hundreds. At last I found a bank where A. caja swarmed ; I got 
over 500 in two afternoons, but in no other spot could I find any to 
speak of—of A. villica I did not find half a dozen. 
T. fimbria in the woods were about as common as usual, and in 
the other common species I saw no decrease. My collecting now came 
almost to a stop until August, except for a flying visit for Pachetra 
leucophea and Agrotis cinerea on the night of May 27th. My assistant, 
two friends and self started off about 8 p.m. loaded with sheets, poles, 
lamps, etc., and a good supply of food and drink, and we were very glad 
to get rid of our burden after a twelve miles cycle ride ; we rigged up 
the sheet and amused ourselves collecting Hipparchia semele' larvae, and 
searching for 5 A. cinerea until the sport commenced, which was about 
11.45 p.m. By midnight we had quite an admiring crowd, which had 
been attrached by our lamps from a village a few miles off; five yokels 
in all came to the light, and seemed very much interested. P. leucophaa 
was scarce, and we only bagged four, which were in the very pink of 
condition. A. cinerea was nothing like as thick as last year, but as 
nearly all bagged were perfect I think we were a few days early for the 
crowd; by 3 a.m. we started for home as it was getting light. I 
could not spare time to pay a second visit. 
My next jaunt was a couple of afternoons in June for the larvae of 
Thecla rubi and L. argiolus, which I found in swarms feeding on the 
berries of dogwood; both larvae fed side by side, and L. argiolus was 
well attended by ants. I never saw such quantities of these larvae; 
I collected over one thousand in the two half days, and I think, without 
exaggeration, had I cared to work thoroughly for a week, I could have 
xxi. 
