INSECTS 



It is a somewhat uninteresting task to attempt to give an account 

 of the insects of Warwickshire as it is not a good entomological county 

 and moreover has not been at all well worked, so that the list of species 

 I am able to give as known to occur within its bounds is neither large 

 nor interesting. Possibly an opportunity may occur later to publish a 

 more complete list, and this one may be the means of inducing additional 

 information to be forthcoming. 



Warwickshire cannot boast any specially rare or interesting species 

 such as Leucodonta bicoloria, Schiff., and Epicnaptera i/icifo/ia, SchifE, both 

 of which are claimed by its neighbour Staffordshire; or Xylomiges conspicil- 

 laris, L., which occurs in Worcestershire; nor does it include within its 

 boundaries any known good collecting ground which would be likely to 

 attract entomologists either from without or within the county, so that 

 perhaps it is not to be wondered at that so few have worked there. 

 Even the limited number of entomologists who happen to have lived 

 within or near it have chiefly collected away from home, and have left 

 little record of work done in their own county. 



Situated as it is right in the middle of agricultural England it is not 

 only remote from any sources of specialized forms such as inhabit the 

 seacoast or mountains, but is so richly cultivated that there are no exten- 

 sive wastes of any kind, either woodland, moorland or fen, to provide a 

 varied fauna. The county is rich enough, it is very well wooded, and 

 vegetation everywhere is luxuriant ; but the woods though frequent are 

 usually small, and the vegetation though rich is somewhat uniform in 

 character, and consequently the insects though probably numerous as 

 individuals are not so numerous and varied as species. Moreover while 

 too uniform and ' commonplace ' to show any specialized or characteristic 

 forms such as occur for example in Scotland, it is also too remote from 

 the continent to benefit by the constant accession of new or rare species 

 from there, which probably accounts for the greater variety and interest 

 of our south coast insect fauna. Even such strong fliers and wanderers 

 as Protoparce convolvuli, L., and Colias Edusa, F., reach it but rarely. 



The Forest of Arden, which once covered a large part of the county, 

 now survives chiefly in place names, though round Marston Green, Coles- 

 hill, Hampton-in-Arden, etc., are still some woods and uncultivated land 

 which probably remain directly from it and may retain some of its in- 

 sect life. Probably the most interesting locality in the county is Sutton 

 Park, a public and natural preserve of about 2,250 acres north of Bir- 

 mingham and on the borders of the county. With its several sheets of 



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