1915.] 259 



fact that certain localities have been destroyed by the builder, and that 

 some of their species, e.g., Tachys quadrisignahis Duft., were 

 undoubtedly foreign insects introduced in soil ballast and deposited on 

 our river banks. For example, Agahvs uliginnsns L. occurs in the pit 

 pond of Boldon Colliery ; Apion paUipes Kir by, of which only three 

 specimens were recorded by Bold, occurred to me in great numbers in 

 Kavensworth Woods on October 17th, 1914; and in another part of 

 the same woods, Thymalus Imibatus F. was taken on February 28th, 

 1914, two living specimens being found in a Polyporus on a birch trunk, 

 and several bred from larvae within it (Hardy records only one specimen 

 from the same wood) ; Stenostola ferrea Schr., too, still occurs in Gib- 

 side Woods in small numbers.(^' Among the Lepidoffera three Fritil- 

 laries (Argynnis aglaia L., A. euphrosyne L., and A. selene Schiff.) are 

 still very common not far from Gateshead,^^) though during the last 

 fifty years there has been apparently almost complete extinction of the 

 Peacock Butterfly (Vanessa io L.). (Quite a number of butterflies dis- 

 appeared, from some unexplained reason, from the two counties about 

 the year 1863).(3) It may here be mentioned that the Small Blue 

 (Polyommafus alsus F.) and the Durham Argus (P. agestis var. salmacis 

 Steph.) have also both disappeared from a number of their haunts, 

 although in this case there is no doubt that their destruction has been 

 due to close cropping and to sheep.^^) 



On the other hand, although the direct effect of coal-pits is 

 probably small, their indirect effects are undoubtedly much more 

 important. Near a pit village the most favoured haunts of insects are, 

 of course, the haunts most beloved of humans, both children and 

 adults. This is perfectly natural and in a measure praiseworthy, but 

 the naturalist cannot but deplore the destruction of insect life which 

 it entails ; in this way, unfortunately, it seems probable that, owing to 

 the opening of new coalpits on the Durham coast at Horden and 

 Hesleden, the prolific collecting grounds at Castle Eden Dene and 

 Black Hall Rocks will soon possess only a tithe of their former (and 

 even present) riches. Landowners have so far met the dilficulty by 

 strict enclosure of their property, and this, though perhaps in a measure 

 selfish, has certainly prevented a large amount of destruction of insect 

 life in the distx'ict. If, however, land, and especially woodland, has 

 then been utilised as a game preserve in addition, insect life has again 



(1) ficU Mr. R. S. Bagiiall. 



(2) Nat. Hist. Trans, of Northumberland and Durham, Vol. XV, p. 256. 



(3) I.e. Vol. XII, p. 21. 



(4) I.e. Vol. XII, pp. 11 and 13. 



