A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



captured at Colchester in June, 1896. Mr. H. C. Cole has found it 

 at High Beech, and Mr. Doubleday formerly took it at Epping. 

 Little dependence can be placed in other records, as the specific name 

 of each of these two species is often erroneously applied to the other. 



The Poplar Hornet Clearwing (Trochilium apiformis] was commoner 

 some years ago than it is now. Its larva feeds on the solid wood of the 

 black and balsam poplar and aspen, preferring trees that are in the full 

 vigour of their growth ; but so many poplars have been felled and so 

 few planted in recent years that it is no longer an easy species to obtain. 

 The Sallow Hornet Clearwing (T. crabroniformis) occurs everywhere 

 where sallows and osiers abound, but though the holes in the stems from 

 which it has emerged are very much in evidence, the perfect insect is 

 generally much more difficult to discover. The Dusky Clearwing (Sesia 

 tabaniformis] can scarcely be considered a British insect in these days, and 

 its only claim to a place in our list rests on its capture at Epping by 

 Mr. H. Doubleday in 1839. The White-barred Clearwing (S. sphegi- 

 formis) is also extremely rare and local, but has been taken in south 

 Essex by Mr. J. A. Cooper in 1890 and by Mr. Thurnall in 1888. 

 The Currant Clearwing (S. tlpuliformis] is common in gardens, where 

 its larvae are said to be very injurious ; but however this may be 

 elsewhere, certain old currant bushes at Colchester which have been 

 affected for more than forty years were producing their usual prolific 

 crop of fruit quite recently. The Yellow-belted Clearwing (S. asilifor- 

 mis) is found in the larva state nearly everywhere in oak stumps where 

 the trees have been felled the previous year. The Red-belted Clear- 

 wing (S. myopiformis) is often common in gardens and orchards, and 

 is probably the greatest enemy of the apple grower that exists ; for 

 though the Codling Moth takes heavy toll of the fruit this insect 

 often slowly but surely destroys the trees themselves. The Large Red- 

 belted Clearwing (S. culiciformis) affects freshly cut birch stumps, and 

 would be very common but for the woodpeckers ; it seems to occur in 

 all woods where birch grows freely. A white-belted variety has been 

 captured at Colchester. The Red-tipped Clearwing (S. formiciformis) is 

 local and less frequently found now than when osiers on the pith of 

 which the larvas feed were more extensively cultivated. It occurs at 

 Colchester, Mark's Tey and Coggeshall, and probably elsewhere where 

 old osier grounds still exist. The Six-belted Clearwing (S. ichneumoni- 

 formis] occurs sparingly at Southend, where Mr. Whittle met with it 

 in 1900. The Rev. C. R. N. Burrows also finds it at Benfleet, and it 

 has been seen on Northey Island. The Fiery Clearwing (S. cbrysidiformis) 

 formerly occurred near Southend, but does not seem to have been 

 found since 1860, which was probably the most disastrous year experi- 

 enced by Lepidoptera in recent times. The Green Forester (Ino statices) 

 is found in the Epping district, and has been taken at Warley by 

 Mr. Willament. 



The Broad-bordered Five-spotted Burnet (Zygcena trlfolii) is reported 

 from Epping and Hainault by Mr. Machin and from Warley Gap by 



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