CAPTURES AND FIELD REPOftTS. 35? 



I put up at a boarding-house in the Sandhills, " Martinsfield " by name, 

 and I may say that anyone working Deal could not do better. The catering 

 is very good, the rooms comfortable, and the position is close to the best 

 treacling ground ; there are also two bungalow bedrooms, one of which 

 should be secured beforehand, as one is then able to get in and out at any 

 time of night. In the garden at " Martinsfield " there is a large quantity 

 of privet, which attracted Vanessas and Macroylossa sleUdiarum by day, 

 and countless moths by night. As, however, moths were even more plen- 

 tiful on treacle, I did not work this privet beyond a final quick look round 

 before turning in. Still, it might be very useful if treacle were not paying. 

 Arriving about 3.30 on 31st, I commenced operations during my lunch 

 by boxing three AmhhjptiUa acanthodactula and one Acidalia imltaria off 

 the dining-room ceiling, and immediately after netted a fine M. stellataram 

 over the garden privet. Up to dinner time I did nothing much except 

 prospecting the ground and putting treacle on some hundred odd posts, in 

 two lines of fences running across the sandhill half-a-mile apart. This 

 plan worked well, as the space between the two gave a good opportunity for 

 working for Lilhosia pyijmcEola, &c. 



This little "footman " has certainly become very scarce, as hard work 

 on three evenings only produced eight specimens in all. Only one was 

 netted at dusk, two more on treacle, and the others at rest on the marram 

 grass stems. In this situation they are very conspicuous in the lamplight, 

 and I feel sure I did not miss any over the ground I searched. The three 

 nights, however, were all very windy, and probably a still, warm night is 

 wanted for this species, as for Niidaria senex, in the Fens. The wind, 

 though very strong, was south-west, and did not in any way interfere with 

 treacle. On the contrary, the best posts were the m6st exposed ones— two 

 or three on a high sand-hill, and others on a shingle ridge at the top of the 

 beach, being always the most favoured. 



There was a truly vast assemblage of moths, the last night being the 

 best. The commonest species was undoubtedly Xylophana polyodmi, of 

 which I took one almost black ; then came in order Amphipyra trayopogonls, 

 TriphiBim pronuba, Ayrotls tritici, Hydnecia nictitans, mid Ayrotis pula, 

 all in the finest possible condition. I took long and variable series of 

 A. tritici and H. nicdtans, and some nice forms of T. proimba. amongst 

 which I picked out one fine T. fimbria, but A. trayopoyonis dud A. puta 

 were wonderfully constant. A. valliyera was much scarcer, only about 

 half-a-dozen each night, and there were no A. cursuria, a species I rather 

 expected. A. sujf'itsa occurred in about the same numbers as A. valliyera, 

 and was as usual in grand condition, whilst A. niyricaits was a bit commoner 

 and very variable, but nowhere near tritici in numbers. Amongst a num- 

 ber of common Caradrinas, a close search failed to turn up C. ambiyua, in 

 this almost its earliest British locality. A specially striking feature (more 

 noticeable, perhaps, after several " fen seasons ") was the scarcity of 

 '* wainscots." Even Leucania impiira, which was the commonest of them, 

 rarely visited the treacle, being far fonder of the flowering heads of marram 

 grass, where it kept company with H. niclitaiis. Ceriyo cylherea, and 

 Miana fanmcula, the few Lithosia pyynmnla taken being all on the stems. 

 Six L. coniyera were the only other Leiicanias, all but one on treacle, and 

 the other on grass ; and, in one little corner where the fence ended at a 

 reedy dyke, Cieiwbia despectu occurred sparingly, both on treacle and round 

 the reeds at dusk. Calamia phraymitidis did not come to treacle, although 



ENTOM. — DECEMBER, 1900. 2 H 



