INSECTS 



Brit. Lep. ii. 41) that Mr. J. Cosmo 

 Melville obtained two specimens from 

 a working man, who stated that he 

 bred them from larvae found at Eccles- 

 bourne in 1 871 



The Bedstraw Hawk (D. galii, Rott.) Not 

 uncommon near Brighton and Lewes 

 in some seasons. Mr. Goss states 

 that he has frequently found the larvas 

 feeding by night on Galium verum by 

 the side of the roads between Brighton 

 and Ditchling and between Brighton and 

 the Dyke. Specimens have also been 

 recorded from Eastbourne, where it has 

 been taken at the electric lamps. It 

 has also been recorded from Hassocks, 

 Hastings, Lewes 



The Striped Hawk (D. lineata, Fb.) Rare, 

 probably always an immigrant. Speci- 

 mens have been taken singly from time 

 to time at Brighton, Cuckfield (Merri- 

 field), GuestUng (Bloomfield), Firle, 

 Hastings, Horsham, Lewes,^ Ringnier, 

 SHndon 



Choerocampa celerio, Linn. Brighton, often 

 captured in gardens attracted by the 

 flowers of petunia and verbena (Vine); 

 also recorded from Ashling (Rev. 

 J. C. Parson), Catsfield, Chichester (An- 

 derson) ; Firle in 1885-6 (Edgell) ; 

 Hastings, Hayiuard's Heath, Lewes seve- 

 ral times. Larvas have been found in 

 Sussex (Barrett, Brit. Lep. ii. 54) 



The Small Elephant (C. porcellus, Linn.) is 

 not uncommon, occurring chiefly on the 

 downs and coast ; Arundel Park, Brigh- 

 ton, Eastbourne, near Emsworth, Glynde, 

 GuestUng, Horsham, Lewes, Portslade, 

 Shoreham ^ 



The Large Elephant (C. elpenor, Linn.) Not 

 uncommon. The moth is often seen 

 at ' sugar ' (Vine) and the larvas may 

 sometimes be found in some numbers 

 in wet places on Epilobium,^ and occa- 

 sonally in gardens on fuchsia. Has 

 occurred at Brighton, Bognor, Chichester, 

 near Emsiuorth, Eastbourne, Glynde, 

 Lewes, Hastings, Horsham, Henfield, 

 Hayward's Heath, Shoreham 



— nerii, Linn. A rare immigrant, stated by 

 Mr. Barrett {Brit. Lep. ii. 65) to be 



^ I possess a specimen taken at Brighton some 

 thirty years ago. — H.G. 



^ It used to be abundant at dusk on the shore 

 at Copperas Gap between Brighton and Shoreham 

 flying over the flowers of Echiiim vulgare. — H. G. 



^ The larva of this species are very abundant 

 near Byfleet and Weybridge in Surrey, feeding on 

 wild balsam {Imfaliens fuiva), an American plant 



'quite the most rare of our hawk- 

 moths.' A very large proportion of 

 the recorded British specimens seems to 

 have been taken in Sussex. Mr. Bar- 

 rett records (loc. cit.) the following : 

 One at Brighton in each of the years 

 1852, 1857 and 1886 (the last was 

 taken by Mr. T. Langley on 7 Septem- 

 ber; it is a male in good condition 

 and passed into Mr. Fletcher's collec- 

 tion); two larvae in 1859 and a moth 

 in 1 884 at Eastbourne; a moth at Lewes 

 on 3 September, 1874, seen alive by 

 Mr. Jenner ; one at St. Leonards in 

 1862 and another in 1868. A further 

 specimen, a male, was taken on one of 

 the lamps on the Marine Parade, Brigh- 

 ton, on 12 September, 1901 ; it was 

 brought while still alive to Messrs. 

 Pratt & Sons, the well known natu- 

 ralists, and is now in Mr. Fletcher's 

 collection 



The 



Eyed Hawk (Smermthus^ o n 



-' „ T ■ \ beem generally 



ocellatus, Lmn.) I ° . ' 



„, T-, , ri I /c if common m 



The Poplar Hawk (b. populi, . 



T . > >. r r ) jj^g county. 



Lmn.) -' ' 



The Lime Hawk (S. tiliae, Linn.) Rare 

 in East Sussex ; Brighton, Hayward's 

 Heath, Horsham (Jenner) ; seems fairly 

 common in JVest Sussex )Fletcher) 



The Humming Bird Hawk (Macroglossa* stel- 

 latarum, Linn.) Occasionally common, 

 but uncertain in appearance, sometimes 

 on the wing during the greater part of 

 the year, hibernated specimens appear- 

 ing on the first warm days of March 

 and April and belated ones in October 

 and November. Recorded from all 

 parts of the county. 



— fuciformis, Linn. Woods, local, but 



widely distributed, and common in 

 places ; Abbots IFood, Battle, Charlton 

 Forest, Hayivard's Heath, Hastings, 

 Horsham, Holm Bush, Laughton, Lewes, 

 Midhurst, Poynings, SHndon, Tailgate 

 Forest 



— scabioss, Z. Rare ; Abbots Wood, Battle, 



Charlton Forest, Horsham, Laughton, 

 Lewes, Midhurst 

 Trochilium apiformis, Clerck. Uncommon ; 

 Hailsham, Lewes, Ringmer, Tilgate 

 Forest 



which has been naturalized on the Weybridge 

 canal and on the Thames. The larvae having 

 been accustomed to balsam will not eat Epilo- 

 bium. — H. G. 



* The larvas are in some years abundant, on 

 Galium verum, near Brighton, Eastbourne and 

 elsewhere on the Chalk. — H.G. 



171 



