THE FIELD DIARY OF SOLITARIUS. 41 



the selection of its haunt, it does not seem to give preference to either 

 secluded or quiet places ; for I have observed it flying over the Elephant 

 and Castle at Newington, and other places equally noisy. But the 

 great bat appears to attach itself to still places, usually in the neigh- 

 bourhood of water, flying over canals and reservoirs, where its prey 

 probably consists of insects of the genera Botys, Hydrocampa, Alu- 

 oil a, &c. 



25, 1832. Timarcha coriacea abundant upon Blackheath. 



25, 1833. Found Acanlhosoma virens, Coccinella 7 punctata, 

 and Timarcha coriacea on Hampstead Heath. 



30, 1832. The water-measurer (Hydrometra Stagnorum) ap- 

 peared upon the brooks at Lee, Kent. 



APRIL J, 1833. The house-fly (Musca domestica) appeared. 



6, 1833. On the skirts of the wood near Shooter's Hill, I ob- 

 served the nettle-butterfly (Vanessa Urticce), the brimstone-butterfly 

 (Gonepteryx rhamni), the peacock-butterfly {Vanessa lo), and the 

 cabbage- white butterfly (Pontia Brassicoe}. 



13, 1831. Noticed a large flock of fieldfares at Kilburn. 



13, 1833. The bed-flea (Pulex irritans) appeared. 



24, 1832. Observed at Blackheath the first pair of swallows I 

 have seen this year. 



27, 1831. Swallows made their appearance at Kilburn. 



29, 1831. Found several chrysalides of Vanessa Urticce at 

 Twickenham. 



30, 1831. At Twickenham, heard the cuckoo for the first time 

 this year. 



MAY 1, 1833. On Wandsworth Common found the purple dorr- 

 beetle (Geolrupes sylvaticus) and Silpha levigata. 



9, 1831. Found the larva of Arciia caja. 



11, 1832. In a field near the Harrow Road found the larva of 

 Abraxas grosmlariata. 



18, 1832. In the course of a walk from Blackheath to Chisel- 

 hurst and back, I found several specimens of Curculionidce (including 

 Oliorhynchus scaber and Polydrusus untformis) Chrysis ignita, Seiop- 

 tera vibrans, Libelhila vulgata, &c. 



19, 1833. Some specimens of Cynips Rosa? were hatched in one 

 of my chip-boxes, from a gall found upon a rose-tree. 



20, 1831. In Fitzroy Square I noticed in the evening what, in 

 my notion, was a very singular occurrence. There was a very beautiful 

 halo or circle on one side of the moon, but not round it as is usual. It 



VOL. II. NO. I. G 



