NOTES — ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. I 27 



making the most of it, when the butterfly walked along the branch towards them 

 and deliberately charged at the enemy. The wasps flew up and returned the 

 attack, the butterfly beating a rapid retreat, walking backwards a few paces. As 

 soon as the wasps settled back the Tortoise-shell charged again, and was again 

 repulsed exactly as before. This was repeated over and over again. It struck me 

 that the cool valour on the part of the butterfly against such formidable foes was 

 remarkable. — Charles E. Benham, Colchester. 



Geometra papilionaria in Epping Forest. — We were very pleased to 

 find the curious and handsome " Large Emerald Moth " in the Forest — a re- 

 appearance, for it was one of the " plums " of the Forest collectors about twenty 

 years ago. The first specimen was taken by H. A. Cole in Dr. Snell's garden, 

 bordering on Lodge Bushes, on June 20th, and we subsequently took six other 

 specimens at a light among the birches in the Bushes. Now that the birch is 

 becoming one of the characteristic trees of the Forest in many parts, we may 

 hope to see Geometra papilionaria and other birch-feeders more commonly. — W. 

 Cole, Buckhurst Hill, August, 1893. 



Abraxas ulmata and Brephos parihenias in Epping Forest. — I took 

 A. ulmata in Epping Forest, at rest on a blackthorn bush, on the 12th June. 

 This is, I understand, the second specimen recorded for Essex ; Mr. B. G. Cole 

 took the first in Bury Wood, Epping Forest, in July, 1881 ("Proc. E F.C.", vol. ii., 

 p. Iviii., and vol. iv., p. Ixxxii). I may also mention that I took Brephos 

 parihenias at Theydon Bois on March 27th, and Eiitliemonia russiila and Tanagra 

 clurrophyllata at the same place on June 6th. — CHARLES Oldham, Woodford, 

 July 1st, 1893. 



Plusia moneta, Fab., at Woodford; a Noctua new to Essex. — 



As noticed in the report of the meeting at Wanstead (ante, p. 107) on July 1st, 

 Mr. Charles Oldham exhibited a specimen of Plii%ea moneta, Fab., a moth not 

 only new to our county, but only recently recognised as an inhabitant of (or 

 immigrant to) the British Isles. The specimen was taken on June 2nd of the 

 present year, as it was flying over honeysuckle in Mr. Oldham's garden at 

 Chelmsford Road, South Woodford. Moneta is very distinct from' any other 

 British species of Pliisia, and is widely distributed in Europe ; it is double- 

 brooded, and its natural food is said to be Monkshood (^Aconitum'), but Duponchel 

 says that the larva will feed on sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke, burdock and 

 cucuTiber. The larva may be easily noticed in May, as it spins the young shoots 

 of the plants together, and later the yellow cocoon is very conspicuous on the 

 underside of the leaf of the food-plant. It was first captured in England, at 

 Dover, in 1890, but has since been taken (and bred) in several other places, and 

 seems likely to become established. Herr Hoffmann has given some very inter- 

 esting remarks on the geographical distribution of the moth in " The Entomolo- 

 gists' Monthly Magazine " for 1890. It was known as a common insect in S. and 

 S.E.Germany, but until the year 1875 was not recorded from the N.W. nor from the 

 Netherlands. In that year it invaded the above-named districts and many other 

 places, and in 1S87 was recorded from Breda, in Holland. Herr Hoffmann adds, 

 " The tendency of the species to gain new ground was so intense that even the 

 rough climate of our Hartz Mountains was not able to keep it back, for I found 

 moneta in the moorland districts of the Brocken, at a height of about 800 metres. 

 • . . Now, the species having crossed the Channel, it will probably spread 



