A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



lying between Arundel and the western 

 boundary of the county. It has been 

 reported from Hay-ward's Heath and 

 Horsham ; no station however is re- 

 corded in Arnold's Flora of Sussex near 

 either of these towns for the food plant 

 of this species (Verbascum nigrum) 

 Cucullia asteris, SchifF. Not uncommon in 

 woods and on heaths, probably occur- 

 ring wherever its food plant, golden 

 rod (Solidago virgaurea), is abundant; 

 generally taken in the larval state 



— gnaphalii, Hb. Very rare ; Abbots TVood, 



Hay-ward's Heathy Tilgate Forest 



— chamomillse, SchifF. Not uncommon 



along the coast ; apparently rare inland. 

 The moth is sometimes found sitting 

 on gate-posts and palings, and the larvae 

 may be found tolerably freely on the 

 scentless mayweed (Pyrethrum inodo- 

 rum) ; Apptedram, Bognor, Brighton^ Bat- 

 tle, Chichester, Eastbourne, Hay-ward's 

 Heath, Horsham, Le-wes, Thorney, Til- 

 gate Forest, Worthing 



— umbratica, Linn. Common and generally 



distributed 



— libatrix, Linn. Generally common 

 Abrostola tripartita, Hufn. Local ; common 



at Brighton and Leives, rare at Hast- 

 ings ; occurs also at Bognor, Chichester, 

 near Ems-worth, Fernhurst, Horsham, 

 Worthing 



— triplasia, Linn. Apparently rare in East 



Sussex, being only recorded from Guest- 

 ling. In West Sussex seems quite com- 

 mon, far more so than the preceding 

 species. The larvae may be obtained 

 freely in nettle beds, preferring those 

 at the base of a wall or building. Bury, 

 Chichester, Bognor, Horsham, Worthing 

 Plusia chryson, Esp. Very rare ; taken by 

 Mr. Robinson near Hastings (Hastings 

 list), Tilgate Forest (J. H. A. Jenner, 

 Macro-Lep. of East Sussex). The late 

 Mr. W. Buckler met with the larvas 

 near Ems-worth, but Mr. Christy, who 

 is familiar with its liabits in the Cam- 

 bridgeshire fens, has not succeeded in 

 finding it in Sussex ; as however, in 

 addition to Mr. Buckler's experience, 

 Mr. Robinson records the capture of 

 two moths near Petersfteld, it is not 

 improbable that the species may yet be 

 found more freely in Sussex 



— chrysitis, Linn. Locally common 



— festucae, Linn. Very local ; occasionally 



at Hastings and Le-wes, sometimes not 

 uncommon at Shoreham ; met with by 

 Professor Meldola at Pagham in l 900 ; 

 also recorded from Horsham 



Plusia iota, Linn. Occurs occasionally in Ash- 

 do-wn Forest, at Bognor, Brighton, Charl- 

 ton Forest, Cocking, near Ems-worth, 

 Hastings, Horsham, Hay-ward's Heath, 

 Linchmere, Le-wes, Pagham 



— pulchrina, Hw. Not common ; Ash- 



do-wn Forest, Brighton, Charlton Forest, 

 near Ems-worth, Fernhurst, Hastings, 

 Horsham, Hay-ward's Heath, Le-wes 



— gamma, Linn. Generally abundant 



— interrogationis, Linn. Mr. J. H. A. 



Jenner states {Macro-Lep. of East Sussex, 

 p. 14) : 'I took one specimen at Battle 

 in 1872.' This most remarkable cap- 

 ture is referred to E?tt. Ann. 1872, 

 p. 1 10, and Barrett, Brit. Lep. vi. 133. 

 In tlie latter the date is given as 1870 



— moneta, Fb. This recent addition to the 



British list was first taken in this 

 county on 2 July, 1890, by Mr. W. 

 M. Christy in a wood near his residence 

 near Ems-worth {Ent. 1890, pp. 254, 

 344). Mr. Christy has bred other 

 specimens from larvas found on Aconi- 

 tum napellus. The species has also 

 since occurred at Chichester, Lodsworth, 

 Hastings, Uckfield and other places in 

 the county. It seems to be not un- 

 common at Tunbridge Wells, which is 

 partly in Kent and partly in Sussex 



Anarta myrtilli, Linn. Common in all the 

 heathy districts of the county 



Heliaca tenebrata, Scop. Widely distributed 

 in the county ; Abbots Wood, Chichester, 

 Battle, Brighton, near Ems-worth, Fern- 

 hurst, Hastings, Hay-ward's Heath, 

 Horsham, Le-wes, Ring>ner 



Heliothis peltigera, SchifF. Local and rare 

 generally, though the larvae are not at 

 times uncommon on restharrow (Ononis 

 arvensis) near Brighton ; has occurred 

 also at Bognor, Hastings, Le-wes 



— armigera, Hb. Very rare and irregu- 



lar in appearance. Mr. Vine writes 

 that specimens are occasionally taken 

 at rest on walls ; has occurred at 

 Bognor, Brighton, Chichester, Hastings, 

 Le-wes, IForthing, Guestling 



Chariclea umbra, Hufn. Probably occurs 

 wherever restharrow (Ononis arven- 

 sis) grows 



Acontia luctuosa, Esp. Rare and local ; 

 has been taken at Brighton, East- 

 bourne, Lewes, Ovingdean 



— lucida, Hufn. Very rare ; probably an 



occasional immigrant. A specimen 

 was taken in a clover field at Brigh- 

 ton on 25 August, 1859 {Ent. Ann. 

 i860, p. 131). It passed into the 

 collection of the Rev. Henry Burney, 



182 



