l74 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Several gamma also came to light in the house on the evening 

 of this day. 



The morning of the 4th was dull, but the sun came through by 

 midda3^ During the afternoon I again visited the flowery slopes, 

 and found cardui still feeding on the Antkijllis, but in smaller 

 numbers than on the previous day, and by the 6th only a stray 

 one or two could be found there, although the weather continued 

 gloriously fine. But from this time up to the 21st, when I left 

 the neighbourhood, wherever I went through the surrounding 

 country for many miles round the species was seen, but only in 

 very small numbers, seldom more than one or two at a time. 



The disappearance of gamma was even more marked, as, 

 although I was frequently over the same ground where I had 

 found it so abundantly on the 3rd, it was rarely that even one 

 was seen, except on the 17th, when perhaps half-a-dozen were 

 noted during a long morning's collecting, and no more came to 

 light at night. Noctuella was again seen on two occasions only, 

 namely, a single individual each on the 10th and 17th. 



The slopes where cardui was so abundant face almost due 

 east. The prevailing wind when I reached Eastbourne was 

 westerly, therefore blowing off the land, and I understand had 

 been so for some days previously to my arrival ; but it had not 

 been stable, often shifting for a few hours or falling calm. On 

 the morning of the 4th it veered into a light easterly sea breeze, 

 and remained so for several days. Of the exact conditions of 

 wind and weather prevalent at the time when the insects first 

 became so abundant on the slopes facing the sea, I have there- 

 fore unfortunately no very definite record, but it will be noted 

 that it was on the wind becoming permanently east that the 

 dispersal of the insects that had congregated on the coast 

 commenced. 



The foregoing might conveniently be put into tabulated 

 form, thus : — 



Locality. — Eastbourne, Sussex coast. 



Period of Observation. — June 2nd to 21st, 1906. 



Species. — Pijraweis cardui, June 3rd, locally abundant ; 4th, locally 



common ; 6th to 21st, generally distributed sparingly. 

 Species. — Plusia f/avima, June 3rd, locally abundant ; 4th to 17th, 



very sparingly. 

 Species. — Nomophila nocttiella, June 8rd, locally very common ; 



4th to 17th, rarely. 



A number of such brief tables got together would, without 

 doubt, throw light upon a much discussed but none the less 

 interesting subject. 



Lewisham : July, 1906. 



