CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 21 



insects were abundant, and amongst others I met with the following 

 species : — Nola centonalis, one only en the night of July 24th ; hard work 

 on three subsequent nights failed to produce another specimeu. Porthesia 

 chrysorrlicea, two specimens at light, and several others found by searching 

 bushes iu the daytime on the sandhills ; a small batch of ova was obtained, 

 and the larvae are now hybernating. This is not, I believe, usually con- 

 sidered a rare insect; but in the course of twenty-five years' collecting I 

 have never before met with it. Lithosia lutarella (pygmceola), fairly 

 abundant, and occurring over a large area on the sandhills. I saw it 

 stated in the entomological journals, some years back, that this insect was 

 likely to become extinct at Deal, and was very pleased therefore to find it 

 still in existence and by no means rare. Amongst the Noctuse, Agrotis 

 tritici and A. vestigialis were abundant and iu fine condition ; so also was 

 Caradrina alsines. Hydrcecia nictitans was just appearing ; but Xylophasia 

 sublustris and Agrotis corticea were scarce and probably getting over, as the 

 specimens seen were all more or less worn. Mesotype virgata (lineolata) was 

 plentiful in one or two places ou the sandhills. Crambus contaminellus, not 

 easily disturbed in the daytime; but at night by no means uucommon, a 

 fine series being secured. On the marshes a few Acidalia emutaria 

 were obtained during the day by beating the vegetation growing on the sides 

 of the ditches. I was fortunate iu obtaining ova, and have the larvae now 

 hybernating. My stay being so short gave me no time for night work on 

 the marshes. There is no doubt but that our friends the golfers have^done 

 an immense amount of iujury to the Deal sandhills from an entomological 

 point of view, but fortunately their operations do not by any means cover 

 the whole of the ground ; and, judging merely from my limited experience, 

 I do not see any reason why all, or nearly all, the Lepidoptera recorded 

 from this locality should not still occur there, with the possible exception of 

 Acidalia ochrata. I did not see a sigu of this species, and very much fear 

 that it is quite extinct there. — G. Harold Conquest ; 58, Hatherley 

 Road, Walthamstow, Dec. 12th, 1898. 



Collecting at Bushey Heath, Herts, and Neighbourhood, in 

 1898. — The past season has been a very fair one for collecting Lepi- 

 doptera. Light was attractive during the greater part of the year, while 

 hardly anything came to sugar until quite the latter part of the season. 

 Sallow-hunting in the spring produced a fair number of species. In 

 January and February I captured Hybernia rupicapraria, H. leucophcearia, 

 H.marginaria, H. defoliaria, Anisopteryx cescularia, Cheimatobia brumata. 

 Larentia multistrigaria, and Phigalia pedaria (pilosaria). Later, at sallows, 

 I took Taniocampa gothica (common), T. instabilis, T. populeti (one male), 

 T. stabilis (abundant), T. munda, T. cruda (abundant), Cerastis vaccinii 

 (few), Scopelosoma satellitia (few), and one Brephos parthenias flying in sun- 

 shine. In April I found the following species on palings, &c. -.—Xylocampa 

 lithoriza (common), Amphidasys prodromaria (strataria) (one female), La- 

 rentia multistrigaria, and a few Anticlea badiata. In May I netted Hepi- 

 alus lupulinus, Gonoptera libatrix, Drepana falcataria, Panagra petraria 

 (abundant), Cabera exanthemata, Rumia cratcegata, and Melanippe fluctuata. 

 The only captures at light in May were one Cucullia verbasci and one 

 Anticlea nigrofasciaria (derivata). In this month I also found the follow- 

 ing on palings, &c. : — Tephrosia crepuscularia, Cilix spinula, Hemerophila 

 abruptaria, Coremia designata, Selenia illunaria, and S. illustraria. On 

 Whit-Monday at Bricket Wood I captured Argynnis euphrosyne, Go- 



