
LEPIDOPTERA IN RELATION TO FLOWERS. 363 
While I am on this part of the subject, I may as well refer to 
the Sweet William, which belongs to the same family as the 
Campions. Mr. E. C. Eggleton, now one of the oldest of Glasgow 
entomologists, has for many years planted large beds of this 
flower in his garden at Fintry, Stirlingshire, principally on 
account of its attractiveness to Moths, especially to the species of 
the genus Plusia. By this means he has been able to obtain a 
considerable series of the rare but widely-distributed Plusia 
bractea, Fb. It has been his experience that the Plusias and 
other dark insects carefully avoid the white varieties of Sweet 
William, and that the dark-purple varieties, that is the most 
inconspicuous, appeal most strongly to their tastes. On the con- 
trary, the Shark Moth (Cucullia wmbratica, Linn.), which is 
light in colour, seems to make instinctively for the white flowers. 
It would not, however, pay the plants to cater for such light- 
coloured species, for they represent only a very” insignificant 
minority of night-flying Moths, and are, besides, very inconstant 
in their attentions to flowers. 
I shall now take the other plants as they stand on the list. 
Anthyllis Vulneraria, Linn., appeared to be a great favourite 
with Macroglossa stellatarum, Linn., in Wicklow. I have not 
noticed that any other species are attracted to it. In all proba- 
bility, however, this is the “kind of vetch” to which reference 
was made in the beginning of this paper. 
The Bramble (Rubus) is one of the few white flowers which 
seems to be attractive to Moths. T have taken the following 
insects at Bramble blossom at night -—Mamestra brassice, Linn., 
Apamea oculea, Linn., Triphena comes, Hiib., Calocampa 
vetusta, Hiib., and Calocampa exoleta, Linn. But the behaviour 
of Moths visiting Bramble, is altogether different from that which 
they assume towards other flowers. Instead of flying directly to 
the blossoms, they sneak along beneath the leaves and thorns, 
appear for a minute against the white ground, and vanish. 
Marsh Cinquefoil (Potentilla Comarum, Nestl.) is a very 
peculiar plant. Sometimes insects fairly swarm round it, at other 
times scarcely a Moth is to be seen. Apamea basilinea, Fb., 
appears to be particularly fond of it, and it is likewise visited by 
Xylophasia monoglypha, Hufn., Linn., Mamestra brassice, Linn., 
Apamea gemina, Hib., Miana fasciwneula, Haw., Triphena 
