166 The Insects of Cambridgeshire 



Among the ffadenidae, Aplecta advena, Fb. is not rare, 

 and A. occulta, L. has been taken in the west. 



The extremely rare Hadena satura, Hb., was taken at 

 Wicken by Mr Tntt in 1893. H. atriplicis, L., abundant in 

 the Fens thirty years ago is now almost extinct. 



The only species which call for mention in the Xylmidae 

 are Xylina semibrunnea, Haw., and Asteroscopus sphinx, Ilufn., 

 which are sparsely distributed throughout the greater part of 

 the county. Of the Plusiidae, Plusia chryson, Esp., occurs in 

 Chippenham Fen, P.festucae, L., at Wicken and on the banks 

 of the rivers; P. moneta, Fb., which was taken in Cambridge 

 in 1901, the year after it was first discovered in England, has 

 been steadily increasing in numbers since, and may now be 

 considered common and well established, and a specimen of 

 P. inter rogationis, L., was taken in the grounds of Jesus 

 College in 1886. Of the remaining genera of Noctuae, Acontia 

 luctuosa, Esp. is sometimes plentiful in the west, Erastia 

 fasciana, L. occurs sparingly, and Bankia argentula, Hb. 

 abounds at Chippenham, where Hydrelia uncula, Clerck, also 

 occurs, but not so plentifully as at Wicken. Aventiajle&ula, 

 Schiff., is taken by Mr Thornhill at Boxworth, and Mr Gardner 

 at Conington. Herminia cribralis, Hb. is common, and odd 

 specimens turn up of Hypenodes albistrigalis, Haw., and 

 H. costaestrigalis, St., in the Fens. 



Geometrae. 



Although the GEOMETRAE are numerously represented, 

 comparatively few are of great local interest : the black var. 

 doubledayaria, Mill., of Amphidasys betularia, L., has been 

 occasionally taken in and near Cambridge and Ely. The 

 beautiful little Hyria muricata, Hufn. is common in Wicken 

 Fen and may be seen flying in abundance at sunrise. Geo- 

 metra vernaria, Hb., Melanippe procellata, Fb., and Eupethecia 

 isogrammata, H.-S., are common at Cherryhinton and other 

 places where Clematis vttalba grows; Mr Jones once bred 

 Eupethecia consignata, Bork. from mixed larvae beaten from 



