2o8 NOTES — ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 



that I have, this autumn, taken four specimens in my garden at Woodford. All 

 in my collection previously were taken at Folkestone. — Chas. Oldham, Wood- 

 ford, November nth, 1892. 



Agrotis saucia in Mersea. — One of the entomological events of the past 

 season has been the abundance of this species. During September and the early 

 part of October, I was at Mersea, and "sugared" every favourable night, my 

 ground being the small garden attached to pur cottage, containing about a dozen 

 suitable trees. Agrotis saucia first put in an appearance on September 1st, and a 

 few continued to come to the sweets nearly every night until the 22nd, when they 

 suddenly increased in numbers, and continued to do so night by night. When I 

 left the island on October 5th, the moths were still common and in fine condition- 

 Several specimens were also taken at light and at ivy blossom. — B. G. Cole, 

 Buckhurst Hill, December, 1892. 



Cymatophora ocularis and "Sugaring" in Epping Forest. — On July 

 1st I had the good fortune to capture, in Epping Forest, a fine specimen of 

 Cymatophora ocularis ; and on the 5th, an example of Leucania turca. As I had 

 visited the Forest every season for the last fifteen years and not seen either species 

 before, I thought the fact worth recording. During the first three weeks of July 

 I found sugar attractive to moths in Epping Forest. The species most common 

 were Noctua brunnea, N. augur, N. /estiva, Xylophasia hepatica, Aplecta nelnilosa^ 

 Miana strigilis, Gonophora derasa, Euplexia lucipara,3.nA Ttyphcena pronuba. Many 

 others came in lesser numbers. — Charles Oldham, Woodford, Nov. 24th, 1892. 



Sake's (commonly called " Snake's ") Lane, Woodford. — In 1888 

 some notes on the name of this lane, by Mr. Walter Crouch and Mr. N. F. 

 Robarts, appeared in The Essex Naturalist (vol. ii., pp. 269-70). Their 

 contention was in favour of " Snake's " being a corruption of " Sake's," which 

 occurred in an old document in Mr. Crouch's possession. That a man named 

 " Sake " lived, and was once a landowner in Woodford, is clear from his will 

 proved in the Court of the Archdeacon of Essex, Oct. 2, 1504 (75, Stephyn). 

 He desires to be buried in Wood'ord Churchyard, and leaves 3^. i^d. to the '"hie 

 aulter," and a new Torche, price 65-. Zd., to the church. To each of his 

 daughters, Agnes and Jor.an, he leaves, i.a., 20s., to be paid equally by him that 

 is in possession of his land called " Long Hylls," and him that hath his land 

 called " Hakfoste." — W. C. Waller, Loughton. 



London Smoke and Vegetation. — It would be an interesting study for 

 those naturalists living near London to attempt to define the limits where the 

 London smoke affects the vegetation. It is not difficult to get a rough estimate 

 of this by steeping boughs of trees in water and watching the discolouration. 

 There is generally none in pure country air ; but the stems of trees in the vicinity 

 of London are very retentive of carbon, and tell the tale quickly. Some rough 

 observations made in the neighbourhood of Bostal Heath and Wickham Cemetery, 

 below Woolwich, and, of course, south of the Thames, show that at those places 

 (quite twelve nfiles from London Bridge) the influence is very apparent ; but it 

 dies out towards Belvidere, a few miles further away. Assuming thus a diameter 

 of twenty-four miles, we have, in round numbers, 450 square miles of vegetation 

 more or less affected by smoke. What inferences may be drawn from this I 

 cannot say ; but possibly the radiation of heat may be checked by this canopy 

 and this may permanently raise the temperature somewhat. A note maile of 

 the distance at which vegetation is affected would certainly be useful for future 

 comparison.— J- FRENCH, Felstead. 



