SOME EARLY LEPIDOPTERA T h e unusually mild winter and early spring apparently caused many species to be on the wing many weeks earlier than normal and the following are some observations and records for 1957. February 27th. Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae Linn.) March 13th. Peacock (Nymphalis io Linn.) March 13th. Comma (Polygonia c-album Linn.) April 2nd. Small White (Pieris rapae Linn.) April 19th. Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardaminis Linn.) April 20th. Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae Linn.) April 22nd. Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus Linn.) April 22nd. Cinnabar (Hippoerita jacobaeae Linn.) S. BEAUFOY, I p s w i c h .
A N O T E ON OCCURRENCE IN T H E BRITISH ISLES O F Cerura bicuspis Borkhausen : T h e report of the capture of a speeimen of the Alder Kitten last June in East Suffolk is indeed a most notable record in the annals of Entomology for the County. As its captor, Canon Waller, mentions, there seems to be only one other authentic speeimen taken in Suffolk, near Elmsett before 1890, confirmed by Wratislaw (C. M o r l e y : list of the Lepidoptera of Suffolk, 1937). I have thought it of interest to write up something of the knowledge of the distribution of this somewhat prized species throughout the British Isles and especially in the Eastern Counties. It is apparently fairly widely spread, particularly in Norfolk whence it may have been steadily increasing its ränge southwards. T h a t well-known collector, the Rev. Miles Moss, while living in Norwich in the early part of this Century, did a careful survey of the Kittens in Norfolk and summarised his findings in the Entom. Record (1905 : 17. 140). He says he found evidence of the occurrence of the Alder Kitten at Merton, Sparham and Aylsham together with three old cocoons on birch in the autumn of 1901 at Stratton Strawless, only seven miles from Norwich. Later he was fortunate enough to find two fßll cocoons on birch trunks near Horsford and bred out the insects. On September 1 Ith, 1905, a friend he accompanied beat a full-fed larva in that locality (Id. 1905 : 17. 273). There is also the report of a larva obtained on alder on September lOth, 1902, near Cromer by A. Russell