NOTES — ORICINAL AND SEI.IiCTKO. l8l 



Kerry reports from Harwich that C. edw^a and C. hyaU have been fairly plentiful 

 there during the latter half of August, this being the first time he had seen C. 

 hyale in the neighbourhood. The males of edusa were much in excess of the 

 females, the average being ten males to one female. The variety lielice was not 

 seen. Mr. C. Spiller records C. edusa in plenty and one C. hyale, at Southend ; 

 and the Rev. F. A. Walker writes that edusa was not uncommon at Walton-on- 

 ihe-Naze in August, and that one hyale was taken. At Brentwood, Mr. E. Baxter 

 reports that edusa commonly occurred during August and September, not only all 

 over his district, but also on the railway banks further down the line. He also 

 took one var. helice and seven C. hyale. Lord Waldegrave saw edusa on the rifle 

 range at Rainham in August. Mr. Buckell says that C. edusa has been plentiful 

 in and about the Lea Valley. We shall be glad to publish any further Essex 

 records, more especially of C. hyale, and from the W., N.VV., and N. parts of the 

 count)-. — Ell. 



Lepidoptera of the Essex Marshes. — Mr. F. G. Whittle writes as follows 

 to the " Entomologists' Record " for September : — " I found Dkhrorhampha 

 plumbagana D. plum/iana, and Psyche radiella, on the 6th of May, at Benfleet ; 

 Stenupteryx noctuella (common), Heliodes arlmti, Eupcecdia ajjinitana, Argyrolepia 

 (Ttuana (one only), Spilosoma mendic.a, and larvae of Eriogaster lanestris, on the 

 2qth of ^L■ly, near Benfleet ; Sericoris littorana. Agaistis bennetii, Fumea reticella, 

 at Shoeburyness, on the 6th of .lune, but not a single larva of Bombyx castrensis 

 was seen on this occasion, although many well advanced larvae were found a fort- 

 night later. Coleophora salinella and C. artemisicolella were taken on the loth 

 June, at Benfleet, and a pair of Eupethecia subumbrata netted in the middle of 

 June, at Shoeburyness. Tortrix costana occurred on the 24th of June, in the 

 same locality, whilst Lucania phiagmitidis, Duhrorhampha politana, Epiiippiphora 

 trigeminana, Catoptiia hyperkana, Homcrosoma hincevella, and Crambus selasellus 

 were taken on the 15th July, at Benfleet. On the l8th July, Catoptria scopoliana 

 and Euchelia jacobcew were on the wing, the latter in fair condition, whilst 

 larvae of the same species — adult and young — were on the food-plant. .S". noctuella , 

 Cynthia cardui, and Plusia gamma were common on the Essex Marshes in May. I 

 was particularly pleased to take Fumea retkella. It occurred so freely that, in a 

 short visit, I was able to take thirty-one specimens." 



A Brilliant November Meteor seen in Essex. — A Braintree corre- 

 spondent of the " Essex Count}' Chronicle" states that at 1.33 a.m. on Monday,. 

 November 17th, " a very large and beautiful meteor appeared to start from the 

 centre of the heavens, somewhat east of the planet Jupiter, and descend to the 

 earth about one point to the west of the North Star. The nebula appeared like 

 an immense star, intensely bright and glittering, and the tail, which reached high 

 up in the sky, was a most beautiful mixture of coloured fire, of pale yellow^ 

 mauve, blue, etc. It only disappeared when it seemed close to the earth." The 

 meteor was also observed by several persons in the neighbourhood of Braintree, 

 Superintendent Elsey and P.S. Barnard were driving up Panfield Lane, Bocking, 

 at 1.33 a.m., when they observed the aerial visitant Superintendent Elsey has 

 seen many similar phenomena in various climes, but he says he had never before 

 seen one so beautiful. The " tail" of the meteor, he says, stretched far into the 

 heavens, and was resplendent with bright blue, pale yellow, mauve, and other 

 hues. As the meteor apparently came close to the earth it seemed to disappear 

 as if it had dropped in some fields close by. .\t Chelmsford the meteor was seen 

 by P.C. Everett, who sajs that the meteor's flight was followed Yy a loud 



