ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FROM AN OLD POCKET-BOOK.
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years. In August another rare and much prized butterfly, Colias
hyale, occurred in numbers, similar to the outburst of its congener,
Colias edusa, a few years ago. Every flowery field and garden
abounded with them, and they were common among the thickets on
Fairmead Plain.
The winter of 1845-46, and the spring of 1846, were remarkably
genial—no frost or snow, reminding one of the past winter (1883-4).
On February 28th, a fine and warm day, I went into the woods.
There were the usual hybernated butterflies sporting in profusion
in the bright sunshine. The beautiful day-flying moth, Brephos
parthenias, was then out—the earliest appearance I have on
record, its usual time being about the middle of March. The large
sallow (Salix caprea) was then in blossom, and many of the Taenio-
campae were out in the evening, busily engaged on the catkins in
company with the geometers Larentia multristrigaria and Selenia
bilunaria (illunaria). That season the appearance and growth of
insect life and vegetation was one of continued progress : there were
no cold evenings to kill the moths and keep the Entomologist at
home. By the middle of March the blackthorn was in full blossom,
and I visited it to find Anticlea nigrofasciaria (derivata) and Eupithecia
exiguata, both commonly ; but the latter is now very scarce. From
that time to the middle of April the hybernated larvae were found to be
unusually common when searched for at night by aid of a lanthorn. So
early was the season, that many of the Noctuae were out and sipping the
sugar I had spread on the trees by May 14th—Apamea basilinea,
Xylophasia rurea, Hadena adusta and Noctua rubi (bella). The lovely
Bee-moth, Macroglossa fuciformis, first seen on May 1st, was common
with Sesia culiciformis, on the flowers of the Wood-spurge. Also
Erastia fasciana (fuscula) and Melanippe hastata were then plentiful
—but are now things of the past in my later experiences.
The continued fine season of 1846 and the delightful profusion of
insect life, induced me to journey to the Fens in Huntingdonshire,
where I located myself in the village of Yaxley, close to Whittlesea
Mere, there to while away the time amidst the rushy moors, studded with
the Sweet Gale or Bog Myrtle, the favourite food-plant of the Gipsy-
moth, whose caterpillars I found feeding upon it. Here I had the
good fortune to capture that extremely rare moth, Noctua subrosea,
and so to settle the vexed question as to whether it was really a
British insect. I was also delighted to catch three Large Copper
butterflies (Polyommatus dispar), the last specimens, I believe, of