234 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



my intention to enlighten him as to the precise situation of my 

 " particular spot," however much he would " like to know." I 

 see no necessity for so doing, especially as, according to his 

 account, these varieties are so well known and so " widely 

 distributed." 



The Villas, Erith, August 12, 1887, 



NOTES FROM SHOEBURYNESS. 

 By W. G. Sheldon. 



On the 24th of July I was in the neighbourhood of the above 

 village, and having a few hours to spare I elected to spend them 

 in working for Lepidoptera on the sand-hills and salt-marshes 

 stretching along the coast to the north-east of that jjlace ; the 

 same as mentioned by Mr. Carrington in his instructive article 

 on salt-marsh collecting (Entom. 45). 



The day was unfortunately not the most favourable for coast 

 collecting, a strong wind blowing all the time ; however, it was 

 from the south-west, but still the smaller species especially did 

 not seem to like flying in it. 



On the sand-hills insects were common, but nothing of rarity 

 turned up, Lithosia complana being perhaps the best ; Cledeohia 

 angiistalis was of frequent occurrence, as also were Cramhus 

 perlellus and C. ivarringtonellus. I cannot but think that this 

 latter insect is nothing more than a melanic variety of the 

 former. They generally occur in the same locality and at the 

 same time, and intermediate forms are frequent ; in fact my 

 series of each of these species is graduated, and it is difficult to 

 form an opinion where one ends and the other begins. The 

 flowers of the marram grass at dusk were covered with the usual 

 sand-hill Noctuas — Agrotis tritici, A. nigricans, and A. valligera, 

 with a sprinkling of Caradrina blanda, C. alsines, &c. 



On the salt-marshes one or two species occurred in great 

 abundance : most noticeable were Catoptria candididana amongst 

 the fragrant Artemisia maritima ; Eiqjcecilia affinitana and E. 

 vectisana generally. A few worn specimens of Eupithecia 

 suhnotata were disturbed from Chenopodium ; also one Cramhus 

 salinellus. A few Agdistes hennetii were flying at dusk, but they 



