A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



has obtained it at Chesham, attracted by 

 a strong light 



Pterostoma palpina, Linn. Chalfont St. Peter, 

 Buckingham, Halt/in, Chesham ; about 

 poplars 



Ptilophora plumigera, Esp. Ha/ton, Great 

 Marlow. This is another most inter- 

 esting species which has its chief home 

 in this and the bordering counties. It 

 is scarcely ever taken in the moth state. 

 The Rev. B. Smith used to examine 

 the twigs of maple bushes in the winter 

 and so find the eggs, which were de- 

 posited singly on the buds. These 

 hatched in April, and the larvae fed on 

 the young leaves of the maple. Con- 

 siderable numbers were reared in this 

 manner or from larvae found on the 

 under sides of the maple leaves. From 

 the resulting moths eggs were obtained 

 and sufficient specimens reared to supply 

 most collections. A former resident 

 at Marlow, Mr. C. T. G. Trotter, 

 has furnished information as to the 

 method of rearing. He says, 'A small 

 maple planted in a pot and slightly 

 forced about the ist of April, may be 

 brought indoors. The young larvae, 

 which appear about the aoth of April, 

 are placed on the opening buds with a 

 feather ; these will not wander off 

 their food, but go on feeding and 

 changing their skins for about six weeks 

 when they will be full grown and 

 ready to bury. The plant will want 

 watering occasionally, but no further 

 trouble need be taken. They bury 

 from one to two inches below the 

 surface, and should be kept dry till 

 November.' The Rev. B. Smith says 

 that the larva will feed freely on syca- 

 more and Norway maple as well as on 

 Acer campestris (common maple). The 

 moth has the strange habit of emerging 

 in the middle of November ; and has 

 been taken at gas lamps occasionally 



Gluphisia crenata, Esp. This is one of the 

 most rare of British insects. Three 

 specimens only are known with cer- 

 tainty to have been obtained in these 

 islands, and of these one was reared 

 from a larva obtained in Buckingham- 

 shire. The history of this specimen 

 by the Rev. Joseph Greene is as 

 follows: 'In August, 1853, returning 

 home from a collecting expedition, 

 about midway between Weston Turville 

 and Halton I came across a large black 

 poplar. Striking a branch which was 

 within reach of my beating stick, I saw 



something fall into the grass, and after a 

 careful search discovered a small dull 

 green caterpillar, tapering at each end, 

 and having three or four brick-red 

 dorsal patches, but quite unknown to 

 me. This I placed in a breeding cage, 

 and it went down that day. I left 

 Halton for Dublin the same season, but 

 before doing so I went to London to 

 see whether I could obtain any informa- 

 tion as to this larva at the Entomological 

 Society. I found there, I think, Mr. 

 Douglas and Mr. Janson ; they showed 

 me Hubner's great work, and when we 

 came to the figure of G. crenata I at 

 once recognized it. I left two sceptics 

 behind me and returned home. I then 

 went to Dublin, carrying with me, of 

 course, my breeding cage containing 

 such precious pupae as S. fagi, L. cucul- 

 lina, and the hoped-for crenata. The 

 house in which I passed the winter had 

 a greenhouse attached. All three 

 species emerged at the end of the 

 ensuing March, having been forced by 

 the warmth ; they are all still in my 

 collection, and I know of no capture 

 of crenata since.' Mr. Greene has 

 furnished these details for the present 

 work ; he is now living well stricken 

 in years at Clifton, Bristol, and still 

 deeply interested in the entomology of 

 this county. The specimen in ques- 

 tion was exhibited at a meeting of the 

 Entomological Society of London on 

 3 April, 1854 



Petasia cassinea, Schiff. ; sphinx, St.C. (the 

 Sprawler). Black Park, Halton, Ches- 

 bam 



Pygaera bucephala, Linn, (the Buff-tip). 

 Generally distributed and common 



Clostera curtula, Linn. (Chocolate-tip). Hal- 

 ton, scarce 



reclusa, Fab. ; pigra, St.C. (Small Choco- 



late-tip). Halton, Black Park ; about 

 sallows 



Diloba casruleocephala, Linn. (Figure of 8). 

 Generally distributed and common 



Gonophora derasa, Linn. (Buff-arches). Buck- 

 ingham, Chesham, Chalfont St. Peter, 

 Black Park, Whittlebury Forest ; usually 

 taken at ' sugar ' 



Thyatira batis, Linn. (Peach Blossom Moth). 

 Halton, Chesham, Chalfont St. Peter, 

 Black Park, Marlow ; also usually 

 taken at ' sugar ' 



Cymatophora duplaris, Linn. Halton, Ches- 

 ham ; not common 



or, Schiff. Halton, larvse on young 



shoots of poplar 



94 



