LEPIDOPTEROUS FAUNA OF PORTLAND. 49 



Lepidoptera. Most of these species are not extremely local in their 

 distribution, but are found more or less over a considerable area, 

 though in many cases they are commoner in one spot than over the 

 rest of the part where they occur. Amongst the exceptions to this 

 statement are those moths whose food plant is very local, and from 

 these I propose to give two instances of much interest. 



In one part of Portland there are several small boggy places with 

 more or less of a pond in wet weather, one only of these ponds being 

 permanent. Now, although each of these damp spots only covers 

 a few square yards, we find in them four species of moths (Scoparia 

 pattida, Bactra lanceolana, Glypliipteryx thrasonella, and Coleophora 

 ccespititiella), attached to the rushes which grow there, and one 

 which feeds on another common bog plant, of which a small patch 

 grows in each locality. This is interesting as shewing how weak 

 flying or retiring species are preserved in full vigour, even by very 

 small isolated patches of their food plants. The three chief damp 

 spots are at least a quarter of a mile from each other, and I should 

 doubt if any individuals (especially the females), of these five 

 species were likely to fly so far, as they are all small and quiet in 

 their habits. 



The other instance that I propose to mention is that of a plume 

 moth, Agdistes Bennetii, which is here found feeding on sea 

 lavender (Statice binervosa), which grows on cliffs by the sea, its 

 usual food plant being Statice limonium, an inhabitant of salt 

 marshes. I have found Statice growing on the Chesil Beach, but 

 A. Bennetii has not yet been taken there. It is not at all a variable 

 insect, but Portland specimens are rather lighter coloured and 

 about one-eighth smaller than salt marsh ones from the Isle of 

 Wight. In connection with this species I may mention that the 

 plume moth family is well represented at Portland, as 17 out of 

 about 35 British species occur there. 



The moth that I shall first allude to of those confined to 

 Portland is one which was desciibed by me in the last volume 

 of the Field Club's proceedings, and figured in the plate 

 vol. x., p. 197, and also in the Ent, Monthly Mag., vol. xxv., 



