254 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



saponaruv. Besides these, there occurred at sugar, Hadena oleracea, 

 Agrotis segefum, Apamea gemma and Miana strigilis which were all verj' 

 abundant, and Mamestra anceps, Apamea hasilinea, Grammesia trilinea, 

 Xylophasia hepatica, Hadena adnsta, H. pisi, and Euplexia Incipara. At 

 dusk I netted a short series of Eerminia cribralis, just freshly out, 

 but neither Meltana jiammea nor Viminia venosa ajipeared at all. One 

 day I drove with IMr. Houghton to Tuddenham for Agro})hila snlpJmr- 

 alis, wliich was conspicuous by its absence, the only insect we took 

 there Avas one very fresh Lithostege gr/'seata. The hill side on Avhick 

 sidphirah's and griseata feed was literally burnt up, and very little 

 of the food plant was visible. The only thing that grew there was 

 Senecio jacobcece, every plant of which Avas literally covered Avith larva? 

 of Euchelia jacobcece, and there Avere imagines of the same flying about, 

 whilst I hear that snlphuralis has not been taken at all this year by the 

 local collectors. On our way home Ave looked in at Chippenham Fen, 

 and in a A-ery few minutes secured nearly four dozen Banksia argentida. 



My next visit to the district Avas for two nights in the first week 

 of July. The Aveather was fine and very hot, but the sky was clear 

 and the Avind in the east. I was told on my arrival that light had 

 been unproductive throughout the season, except on one night (when 

 Mr. Houghton Avas ill), on Avhich Mr. Solomon Bailey took a fcAv 

 Macrogasier arundinis. It was no better Avhile I Avas there. At dusk 

 I netted a fcAV Epione apiciaria and Lobophora sexalisata. Nudaria 

 senex Avas the only moth Avhich visited the lamp. Sugar Avas rather 

 more productiA-e in the fen than on my former A'isit, less so in the lane, 

 but very feAv species Avere represented. Leucania ])udorha and Apamea, 

 fibrosa Avere there in abundance, Avith beautiful forms of the latter and L. 

 pallens ; Xylopjhasia pohjodon and Agrotis nigricans Avere quite a nuisance. 

 We also saAv scA-eral Calamia phragmitidis and commoner species, such 

 as Ldhosta griseola, L. complamda, Levcania lithargyria, L. conigera, the 

 Caradrinidce, Axylia putris, Noctiia f estiva, N. plecta and N. augur. The 

 two events Avhich pleased Mr. Houghton most during this Ansit Avere the 

 appearance of Heliothis margwatus at sugar in the fen (he said he had 

 never seen it there before), and the taking of Agrotis radda. He had 

 previotisly (at the end of June) taken 18 ravida in one night, but had 

 hardly seen another. Cuspidia strigosa and Cymatopliora octdaris \\a\e 

 been very scarce this year ; the tAvo local collectors, Mr. Houghton and 

 Mr. S. Bailej' haA-e each taken one of the former only, and less than 

 half-a-dozen ocularis have been taken altogether. The folloAving Aveek 

 I again went to Wicken on July 12th for two nights. This time there 

 Avas rather more Avind, as usual from the east, and a good deal of Avet. 

 The nights Avere also darker, but the change in the atmosjjheric con- 

 ditions did not make much difference to the moths. There Avere more 

 A. fibrosa, and L. pudorina (the latter much AA^orn), and more C. phrag- 

 mitidis ; also a good many L. griseola, Cahjmnia affinis, Namia typica and 

 Aiaphipyra tragopoginis, but very little else. At dusk I netted Pehirga 

 comitata, Strenia clathrata and E. apiciaria (which Avere getting Avorn), 

 but the lamp produced nothing. So far I had visited Wicken three 

 times and had never seen an insect on the sheet. On this occasion the 

 second brood of Fapilio machaon Avas fully out, which is rather an early 

 date for it. 



This Aveek I haA-e again been to Wicken for three nights, with an 

 almost similar result. I heard that a very fcAv Nonagria hellmanniy 

 have been taken, and Ccenobia rufa and Viminia venosa have occurred 



