174 THE entomologist's record. 



cliff form little channels and swamps in the sand, rushes, reeds, etc., 

 grow again, and the few beetles not destroyed recover and spread once 

 more. Last year the ground was recovering, and Drypta, which had 

 not been found there for many years, was taken in some numbers, 

 together with other good species. This spring only one Drypta has 

 been taken, after much hard searching. Among other things at 

 Luccombe Chine were taken Badiater sodalis, Duft., Agabus nebnlosus, 

 Forst., and Atemeles emarriinatus, Pk., the last crawling on the sand at 

 some distance from the nearest ants' nest. 



A June day's Lepidopterological observations on the 

 Folkestone Downs. 



By JAMES BELL. 



The morning of June 19th, 1910, was perfect for entomological work 

 at Folkestone ; the morning was clear, bright, hot, and sunny, the sky 

 at 11 a.m. blue and absolutely cloudless, the downs covered with 

 blossoming wildflowers, and yet lepidoptera were only moderately 

 abundant. Never before have I seen the slopes such a mass of bloom, 

 and the yellow heads of Lotus corniculatiis, Hippoerepis cowoaa, and 

 Anthyllis valneraria made a golden flower-carpet not to be excelled by 

 any of those described so picturesquely in Rambles in Alpine Valleys, 

 p. 162. Here and there masses of Helianthemuin bloom helped the 

 leguminous plants, but their abundance covered the slopes with a 

 blaze of brilliant beauty. 



The white butterflies were apparently nearly over ; at anj' rate, 

 neither Pieris brassicae nor P. rapae were abundant, the first-named 

 commoner than the latter ; whilst, on the slopes itself, Ayriades thetis 

 was perhaps the commonest butterfly, but this was going over, and 

 many of the specimens were very worn. The $ s captured were all 

 strongly scaled with blue, not differing though, in this respect, from 

 those of last September in the same place {Knt. Bee, xxi., pp. 226-7), 

 but both sexes were much less abundant than then. Like almost all 

 species that go over the winter as larvfe, however, there was a great 

 deal of difference in their condition, and a few of both sexes were 

 quite fresh, and evidently recently emerged. This species was widely 

 spread over the downs, and the ^ s apparently much more abundant 

 than the ? s, although the brood must have been nearing its end, 

 Polyoitnnatus icariis was quite rare, not a dozen were seen altogether, 

 and only two or three $ s, these, as usual, strongly scaled with blue, 

 there bemg apparently, at Folkestone, as in most other British coast 

 localities, no difference in this respect between the spring and summer 

 broods. A single S Celastrina aryiolus was observed swinging itself 

 over the bushes, and a couple only of Aricia astrarche were noticed. 

 These were both small in size, and appeared to have a particularly 

 zigzag method of flight, especially when compared with the long 

 sweeping curves of A. thetis and P. icariis. Quite common was Citpido 

 viiniiiiKs in the grassy hollows, where it flitted actively from one point 

 to another, settling down on grass culm, flower, or bush to twirl its 

 wings in the manner specially affected by the "blue" butterflies. 

 Hardly had a specimen of either sex settled in the sun before the 

 wings were opened and the movement began. The dark colour of the 

 upperside of C. minimus, compared with its underside, makes it at the 



