THE IRREGULAR DIARY OF AN ENTOMOLOGIST. 43 



Under the date of September 5th "a specimen of Cato- 

 cola fraxini which Mr. S. Stevens took at Hammersmith off a 

 willow, with sugar, a few evenings ago," is mentioned as having 

 been seen at the Entomological Society. 



" July 17th, 1845. — At Clapham Common, this morning, I 

 took one or two specimens of Agrotis corticea by beating the 

 limes, but I ought to have gone two or three days ago. Some of 

 my larvae of castrensis [taken at Sheppey on the 11th and 12th] 

 have spun up, but others are dead. A considerable number of 

 JS. [Sesia] ichneumomformis have been taken at Charlton within 

 the last fortnight. Mr. Shepherd took sixteen in one afternoon. 

 Last week Mr, Douglas took Smaragdarius [Phorodesma smarag- 

 daria] , one of the emeralds, at St. Osyth ; five were taken. It 

 probably may be met with at Sheppey, on the east coast. 

 Mem. — Endeavour to get to Sheppey for a week next year, about 

 the beginning of July. A new Enpithecia [togata] has been taken 

 at Black Park within the last three weeks, and in considerable 

 numbers." 



"July 31st. —I find my castrensis caterpillars will eat oak. 

 They also seem to like the common wormwood better than the 

 garden southernwood. I find they do not dislike the latter plant 

 when it has been dijDped in salt and water." 



" June 16th, 1856. — I have bred about twenty specimens of 

 TaUeporia pseudo-homhgcella from pupae-cases principally col- 

 lected on the trunks of beeches in the Addington and Wickham 

 woods. Some few were taken on the Dartford fence. Only three 

 were females. This afternoon I accompanied Mr. Stainforth to 

 Kingston-on-Thames. We obtained a boat near the bridge 

 and rowed to a small island, a little higher up the river. It is 

 covered with osiers, and on the margin of the island we cut off 

 some of the heads of the osiers and brought home for the 

 purpose of feeding jEgeria [Sesia formiciformis, subsequently 

 bred therefrom] , Mr. Stainforth having bred several last year. 

 We noticed one or two pupae in holes, but not any of the perfect 

 insect." 



" June 21st. — Went again to-day to the coryli locality, having 

 left London at 10 a.m., accompanied by Mr. Francis' son. We 

 first went up Croham lane to the Hurst, and took a considerable 

 number of larvae and a few moths ; one I had never taken before. 

 Near Shirley Common I also took a further quantity of Crypto- 

 cephalm coryli, &c. From the boys at the lodges I obtained 

 several more moths, some rather good, such as Polia [Aplecta] 

 tincta. Larvae appear very plentiful this year, particularly 

 Geometrae. I have taken several thorns, prominents, &c. N.B. — 

 The grounds in which I get C. coryli is called 'Ballards,' the 

 residence of Hopfman, Esq. The particular locality is a piece of 

 stony ground at the bottom of the hill at the Croydon end 



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