﻿NOTES FROM AN ESSEX LEPIDOPTEMST's DIARY. 203 



woods some years ago, but they now seem to be nearly extinct. 

 Adopcea tliaumas (linea) was plentiful and fresh, and I took one 

 Herminia derivalis, but saw nothing else worth noting. 



The 12th was another very hot day. The second brood 

 of Cyaniris argiohis was now rather numerous, and Arctia caja, 

 Noctua hqja, &c., were appearing in my breeding-cages. The 

 larvae of Saturaia carpini, from the ova laid on May 13th, were 

 now full grown. I sleeved them on a sallow-bush in my garden. 



The 14th was very hot. I had a beautiful variety of A. caja 

 brought me, with hind wings bright yellow. I went to the lanes 

 and marshes in the evening and I noticed quantities of beauti- 

 fully fresh Adopcea lineola, sitting on grass-stems after sunset, 

 and boxed a couple of dozen, nearly all males. I also took five 

 Leucania favicolor on flowering grasses, two of which were the 

 red var. rufa, and two the yellow var. lutea. L. ivipura was 

 abundant, also Miana colorata, but not much else except a few 

 Anerastia lotella and one Spilodes {cinctalis) vertkalis. C. dotata 

 was flying commonly in the lanes. 



The 17th was fine, overcast, very warm, and nearly calm. 

 At night I went to the marshes and sandhills and found moths 

 swarming on the marram grass. I took several L. favicolor, but 

 they were so worn I had to release them the next morning. 

 M. ahjecta was in fair numbers ; L. pallens, L. impura, Apamca 

 oculea, Miana bicolorata, and Xylophasia polyodon, in profusion ; 

 and among the others were Agrotis nigricans, Leucania conigera, 

 and Hydrilla paludis (one); A. lineola was also plentiful on the 

 grass-stems. 



21st. The hot weather still continued, and in the evening, 

 as it was almost calm, with no dew or moon, I went to the reedy 

 dykes, but did not see much flying at first, except a few Chilo 

 phragmitellus. Upon reaching a favourable-looking place, I 

 stood still and threw the light of the lantern on to the reeds, and 

 presently a moth fluttered out towards me and was netted, and 

 proved to be Senta ulvce maritima. This was a good beginning, 

 so I remained where I was for nearly two hours, just moving a 

 pace or two to the right or left, and every minute or so a moth 

 came out (sometimes two or three together), and I eventually 

 found that I had secured thirteen S. maritima, seven Nonagria 

 arundineta, two Leucania straminea, one Llydroecia paludis, and 

 several Chilo phragmitellus, Timandra amataria, Coremia uni- 

 dentata, and Agrotis tritici. On my way home I passed a large 

 clump of flowering rushes, and upon every flower there were two 

 or three moths, chiefly L. conigera, L, lithargyria, L. impura, T. 

 amataria, E. pumilata, &c. 



On the 22nd I bred eight Drepana hamula, from ova laid by 

 the female captured on May 29th. The larvae were sleeved upon 

 an oak in my garden. (I subsequently bred about thirty more, 

 and obtained a batch of ova.) 



