SOME LEPIDOPTERA OF THE BRITISH LINE IN FRANCE. 41 



Eupisteria obliterata was very common at Corbie, and common 

 near St. Pol, 



Acidulia dimidiata, near Corbie. 



A. bisetata, St. Pol and Souchez. 



A. virgidaria, Corbie. 



A. marginipunctata, a specimen in a train between Etaples 

 and Boulogne. 



A. remutaria, Somme. 



A. aversata, common everywhere. 



Timaiidra amataria was the commonest trench geometer from 

 Flanders to Fricourt. 



Cahera pusaria and C. exanthemata, common everywhere. 



Bfipta himncnlata, Somme. 



Strejiia clitltrata swarms on all waste or meadow land behind 

 the line from the Ancre to Souchez, and is almost continuous in 

 appearance throughout the summer. 



Abraxax grossidariata occurs as in England. 



Ligdia adu»tata was seen, tliough not commonly, on the 

 Somme. 



Lomaspilis marginata was common in all districts up to 

 Souchez. 



Hubeniia marginaria was the only species of its genus seen in 

 Flanders, wiiere we wintered. 



The si-aieity of sprint- larvae in Picaidy was very remaikable. 

 On May lOtn a caieful search in a wood near Ville-sur-Aucie 

 reveab d one bn inula, one de/oliaiia, a few gross n.lariata ;ind 

 xiirdidntit, less tliau iialf a do/,en virida a, and one or two 

 tr<ij>cziii'i, whi h sp^ci. s uiiist liave largt-l\ aditpieii a xe^^tarian 

 diet. Of ciiuise ihi.s scarciiy is familiar to Braish collectors as 

 the culiiiinafion of a series of years in which tlie>e larvae become 

 moie and m ire numerous till they are checked by the insufficiency 

 of the food supply. 



In Picardy in 1916 there was another factor, which may occur 

 in all years. Tiiis was the presence of countless millions of 

 MeUilonthd vulgaris. Tliese l)eetles flew round the trees in swarms, 

 day and night, and had reduced the foliage to the condition often 

 seen in York>hire in a year when Hybernid larvae are at their 

 maximum. A favourite toy with the children of Corbie was a 

 cockciiafer on a piece of cotton, which made a very efficient and 

 entertaining kite. Even our own men derived much amusement 

 in their spare time from knocking flying cockchafers down with 

 sticks. If M. vidgaris is always as common as this, I do not 

 think defoliaria and its relatives are likely to be ever abundant. 

 I do not know where the cockchafers came from, as the proportion 

 of grass land in France is relatively very small, except for the 

 zone directly behind the firing line, and this zone cannot have 

 produced the countless swarms of beetles, which were as nume- 

 rous ten miles behind the line as they were on the line itself. 

 ENTOM. — February, 1917. i> 



