276 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Ashdown fed some on rice ; probably also they will eat animal matter, 

 and will turn out to be omnivorous like F. auricularia. — W. J. Lucas; 

 12, Caversham Road, Kingston-on-Thames, Oct. 14th, 1899. 



CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 



Collecting at Hailsham, Sussex, and at Eastbourne. — Arrived at 

 Hailsham on Aug. 5th, 1899 (2£ hours late, thanks to the L. B. & S. C. 11.). 

 We were too late for auything but supper, especially as we were greeted 

 with a heavy thunderstorm. After supper, however, the weather cleared, 

 and about 9.30 p.m. we took a turn round the town. Bombyx neustria was 

 fairly plentiful at the gas-lamps, and a nice specimen of Notodonta ziczac 

 was taken. The next day showed us pretty much what we had to expect 

 from day-work, which was very slow. Beating produced scarcely anything 

 but Abraxas grossulariata, Asthena candidata, and some of the Ephyras. 

 The first named absolutely swarmed at night in the hedges, and, though a 

 very common moth, I never remember to have seen it in such enormous 

 numbers before ; however, they did not yield any varieties. 



Ordinary butterflies were abuudaut. Gonepteryx rhamni was seen 

 occasionally. The three common Pierids were indeed plentiful, but the 

 commonest butterfly was undoubtedly Epinephele tithojius, except on the 

 downs, where Lyccena corydon was, as usual, an easy first in point of num- 

 bers. Epinephele ianira, Lyccena icarus, Hesperia linea, Polyommatus 

 phlceas, and Ccenonympha pamphilus were all very common. A few worn 

 specimens of Argynnis paphia were met with in Abbot's Wood, and 

 A. aglaia was plentiful on " The Hide " outside the wood, and was also 

 seen on the downs near Jevington ; but all the specimens were reduced to 

 shreds. Pararge megcera struck me as not being quite so abundant as 

 usual in this part of Sussex, and the same applies to Satyrus semele on the 

 downs. Vanessa atalanta was plentiful, and on a poplar tree near Polegate 

 Station, which was riddled with larva? of Cossus ligniperda, my father saw 

 six specimens at once. One beautiful specimen of V. (Cynthia) cardui was 

 taken, and V. urticce was only represented by one specimen. Thecla quercus 

 seems to be pretty generally distributed all round Hailsham, but was 

 getting worn. Lycana argiolus was in fair numbers, especially on the 

 outskirts of Abbot's Wood ; but this insect always seems to be difficult to 

 obtain in really first-rate condition. One specimen only of Hesperia 

 sylvanus was seen. I was informed by a well-known Eastbourne naturalist 

 that Apatura iris and Limenitis sybilla had been taken during the previous 

 week in Abbot's Wood. 



Turning to the moths, Lithosia griseola seems to be very generally dis- 

 tributed and common, and at Wannock, on Aug. 7th, one or two came 

 down to nearly every blow of the beating-stick. The variety stramineola 

 does not seem to occur here, but it may be of interest to mention that I 

 bred one from eighteen larvae taken at Wicken in June this year. Lithosia 

 lurideola was far less common, only one being beaten. The following were 

 also beaten -.—Liparis auriflua, Drepana falcataria (three), D. lacertinaria 

 (two), Selenia illunaria, S. tetralunaria, Ephyra omicronaria, E. trilinearia 

 (one), E. porata, E. punctaria, and E. pendularia (the last three being 

 fairly common), Ligdia adustata (three), Timandra amataria, Acidalia 



