144 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



On June 1st the larvae of Geomctra vernaria were found not uncom- 

 monly on clematis near Southchurch, and during the month Melanippe 

 unangulata was beaten out of hedges here and there ; the latter species 

 appears to occur all over the district, but not commonly ; a few M. ri- 

 vata and one Anticiea rubidata were also taken, together with several 

 FjUpitheeia succentanriata ; Pkibalapterij.v tersata also occurred freely 

 amongst clematis near Prittlewell. 



I was unable to do any night-work until July, when Benfleet was 

 visited on several occasions, and the palings, etc., near the railway 

 were treacled, with very poor results ; a few of the common Noctufe 

 which are out in July appeared, and four examples of Mamcstra abjecta 

 were taken ; the commonest insect at the sugar was, strange to say, 

 Tortrix podana, with several of the var. fuscana. A visit to a ditch 

 full of reeds near was more interesting, as here I took one Senta mari- 

 tima [nlvtc] at rest on a reed- stem, whilst Chilo phra(jmitdlus, Scoparia 

 pallida, and Herminia cribralis were flying over and amongst the reeds, 

 and a fine Fhorodesma smaraijdaria was captured as it flew over an 

 adjacent bank. 



On July 15th, one of the few fine days we had last summer, 

 I visited the woods near Hadleigh. Eupithecia plumbeolata, Lithosia 

 mesomella, Melanippe alhicillata, Crambus pinellus, Bhodophma consociella, 

 and R. tnmidella were taken, with many other species. Argynnis adippe 

 was seen in the woods, and Melanargia galatea was flying freely in the 

 meadows near the woods ; the latter butterfly 1 have never met with 

 elsewhere in Essex, but in this district it is distributed, I am glad to 

 say, over a wide area along the hills from Benfleet towards Leigh, and 

 also inland, and it is also to be found on Canvey Island. 



During August the larvte of Eupithecia isogrammaria were in plenty 

 feeding inside the buds of the clematis near Prittlewell, and on the 

 coast the larv^ of Charidea umbra [marginnta) were not uncommon at 

 the end of the month on the rest-harrow ; whilst searching for the 

 latter I took a single specimen of Eremobia ochroleuca at rest on a 

 thistle-head. During this month also Tortrices were fairly abundant 

 on the rough slopes facing the railway near Leigh, and the following 

 species were netted in the course of two short afternoon visits to the 

 locality : — Dichrorampha poUtana, D. petiverella, Sphaleroptera ictericana, 

 and Catoptria scopoliana, all abundant, the last-named species par- 

 ticularly so ; C. ccBcimaculana (two only), and a few each of Grupholitha 

 nigromaculana, Conchylis francillana, Ephippipliora trigeminana, and 

 Eupcecilia angustana. At Shoeburyness, on September 20th, the larvfe 

 of Spilodes 2)alealis were found feeding in the seed-heads of Dauciis 

 carota, some nearly full-fed, others not half-grown. 



There are still a few fields and hedgerows left between Westcliff 

 and Leigh, although I am sorry to say the jerry builder is fast covering 

 them with bricks and mortar. From September 24th to October 4th 

 I sugared along one of these hedgerows on six occasions, and the 

 following Noctuse were seen or taken: — Agrotis sufusa (a series), 

 A. saucia (two), Phlogophora meticulosa (abundant), Noctua c-nigrum 

 (abundant), Anchocelis jnstacina (abundant), A. rujina (one), A. hinosa 

 (several), A. litura (two), Xanthia fulvago = cerago (several), X.aurago 

 (six), X. circellaris (several), Cirrhxdia xerampelina (one), Epunda Intu- 

 lenta (one), and Hadena protea (three). I was rather surprised at 



