AN OCTOBER EVENING AT MUCKING. 251 



although it has never died oui here yet, one ortwo specimens rewarding 

 me each year. Nor is it yet too late for this insect, fori have taken it 

 more frequently in October (as late as the 25th) than in September. But I 

 must not turn aside after insects which do not greet me this evening. 

 Phlogophora meticulosa is in swarms, all the evening, by far the 

 commonest insect about. It his been thus for days, for weeks, 

 perhaps for months. Of all our British Noctuids, this appears to me to 

 be one of the commonest, and with tie' longest period of continuance. 

 I have taken it from April 4th to November 15th. Dr. Buckell 

 records it (Entom.., 188(>. p. 138), in November and December, and 

 after Christmas ; and Mr. Hunt [In,-, ,-it., p. 65), a, specimen at rest, 

 December 26th, 1885. I am tempted to take several of these, they 

 look so brilliant with their red and green, by the light of the 

 acetylene lamp. But, alas ! when it comes to setting them out by 

 daylight .... Noctua c-nigrum is another common visitor, 

 some worn to sbreds, some " fresh as paint." How red this insect js 

 hereabouts! Again I box the tempting beauty. But the red is not 

 half so charming in the morning, and when set out rarely shows. 

 Like so many other insects, their glow is not stable, and soon passes 

 away. Yet the living insect is amongst the prettiest I see to-night. 

 Now. there appears quietly sitting with closed wings, drinking the 

 sweets, a little Geometer, which I box in case it may be something I 

 want. It proves to be a nice male Camptogramma fluviata, the fourth 

 I have taken in my life ! I have never seen it at sugar before, nor 

 have I so far found a record thereof. And I have only once taken a 

 female, which I netted at Wanstead when but a lad. Of course I 

 killed her, and have never seen the gentler sex since. I netted a 

 male on May 80th, 1892, in my garden, at Rainham, and another 

 male in my garden here on August 14th last year. I see that it is 

 recorded at ivy and light. As to ivy, I do not do much at that. I 

 cannot see the visitors thereto easily, and when I do examine the 

 flowers find mostly wasps and earwigs. I dislike both these creatures, 

 and so am not keen upon ivy-collecting. Warned to night by my 

 capture. I lighted my big lamp and illuminated the sheet from 7.o0 p.m. 

 to 11.0 p.m. I burned out 21bs. of carbide, took one female /h'!<>li<i 

 caeruleocephala, and saw hundreds of ••Daddies," many Anchocelu 

 pistacina, and a few Eubolia cervinaria, but no Camptogramma 

 fluviata. 



My favourite moth, Epunda lutulenta, is represented by a single 

 specimen. The insect has played me false this year. It is no fault 

 of mine. I have been lazy, negligent, despondent some years, but 

 this year 1 have worked for it like a nigger. Only on Sunday nights 

 has Epunda lutulenta been safe My records for its occurrence have 

 been most carefully kept for years. The earliest date 1 have for its 

 appearance is September 3rd, L906; the latest, October 9th, ls<)9and 

 1900. In every case a heavy Tail of rain has determined t lie date of 



nee Phis year it appeared on September L3th— the h 

 fall of rain came on Tuesday last, October 1st. I ha □ two 



specimens since, and do no! an} more. My captures in 1906, 



from September y>rd to October 3rd, totalled 11)5! In 1907, they 

 cannot much exceed the pre 16 ! 



I remember some years since some correspondent suggesting that 

 the reason Epunda lutulenta disappeared about October 5th, was that 



