BLUES. 



139 



in our neighbourhood must regulate his visit 

 according to the weather during the past 

 spring ; he cannot do better than stop at the 

 "King's Arms," Salcombe, for the night. 

 Bolt Head is an out-of-the-way place to get at. 

 The nearest point by rail is Kingsbridge Road ; 

 you can take the coach from thence to Kings- 

 bridge, a distance of about ten miles. From 

 thence to Salcombe is about four miles by 

 steamer or boat, and then you have about two 

 miles' walk to Bolt Head ; the slopes here are 

 very steep, and in dry seasons it is absolutely 

 necessary you should have spikes or long hob- 

 nails in your boots, to make sure of your 

 footing, for it puts one in mind of walk'ng 

 on ice, it is so excessively slippery G. C. 

 Bigncll. [This is written five years sub- 

 sequently to the preceding note.] When I 

 last had the pleasure of seeing you I think 

 you told me that you were not aware that the 

 Bolt Head on the coast of Devon was a locality 

 for Lyccena Arion : two years since, when 

 with some friends, we caught several dozen 

 of that species, and about a fortnight since 

 many were again taken in that locality by a 

 friend of mine John Gatcombe, " Entomolo- 

 gist," vol. iv., p. 301. It is very abundant on 

 a rough piece of ground near a village about 

 ten miles from Kingsbridge, in South Devon ; 

 I have the name of the village and unques- 

 tionable evidence of the correctness of this 

 statement, but have received exact particulars 

 of the locality from Mr. J. F. Hanbury on the 

 condition of not publishing it E. Newman. 



Dorsetshire. One specimen was taken by 

 D. Morris at Charmouth, but I have heard of 

 none since J. G. Dale. 



Gloucestershire. Rodborough Common, 

 Sapperton, Miserdine Park, Daneway Common 

 M. G. Musgrave. Lyccena Arion has turned 

 up again here [near Gloucester]. I captured 

 three pairs on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of 

 June, 1867, in beautiful condition, and a few 

 days later a fourth pair, rather worn. On the 

 29th I was out with a friend, when we took 

 seven npecimens, but in very bad condition, 

 and we let some fly again in consequence 

 Herbert Marsden, " Entomologist" vol. iii., 

 p. 314. Several years ago I found Arion 



sparsely distributed on the Cotswold Hills, 

 and it was found by others on other portions 

 of the same range, but from some of the local- 

 ities in which it was once found it has since 

 disappeared. Last year [1865] several speci- 

 mens were taken by my friend, Mr. Marsden, 

 of Gloucester, in the same neighbourhood in 

 which I had taken it ; and this year I was 

 fortunate enough to capture eleven specimens, 

 and Mr. Marsden has taken still more. Owing 

 to the forwardness of the season generally for 

 insects, it became a nice point for calculation 

 when to look for this species with the prospect 

 of finding it. It is generally from the 14th 

 to the 20th of June, but this year I took the 

 first eleven specimens on the 6th of June. 

 Most of them were in good order, although 

 one or two had evidently been out some days. 

 There was a strong wind blowing, as there 

 generally is on the exposed places occupied 

 by Arion, and doubtless this tends quickly to 

 damage its delicate plumage ; the spot most 

 frequented by them was, however, partly 

 sheltered by a stone wall. The same locality 

 subsqnently yielded as many as were taken 

 on the first day, while all the district round 

 about, though much of it is of the same 

 character, was perfectly clear of them. This 

 tends to show that the species is very local. 

 On another spot, some miles distant, but of a 

 similar broken character, the species was also 

 found, the area, however, being still more 

 contracted. The ground in both cases consists 

 of deserted quarries, from which broken stone 

 has been taken, the sides of the quarries being 

 left sloping, and thick grass, with the usual 

 herbage of hills, growing near. This herbage 

 includes wild thyme,sun-cistus, wild geranium, 

 wild forget-me-not, milkwort, yellow trefoil, 

 and several species of coarse grass Joseph 

 Merrin, " Entomologist" vol. iv., p. 105. On 

 June 1st [1868] I took one specimen of Arion 

 on the north-east side of Painswick Hill; 

 business prevented my visiting the place again 

 in the daytime, but having spent four even- 

 ings searching in the same place, I succeeded 

 in taking twelve specimens. The last I took 

 on the 23rd of June ; it was much worn in 

 appearance. I found them at rest on the 



