71 



THE NAVAL MANCEUVRES OF 1900, FROM AN 

 ENTOMOLOGIST'S POINT OF VIEW. 



By T. B. Fletcher, R.N., F.E.S. 



Though the connection between the naval manoeuvres and a 

 scientific magazine may at first sight appear rather distant, I 

 have thought that a few entomological extracts from my log for 

 the period may prove of interest. 



We commissioned H.M. S. 'Edinburgh' at Chatham on 

 July 10th, and left Sheerness on the 12th for Portland, which 

 was the rendezvous of the " A " Fleet. It was much too busy a 

 time just now to do any collecting, though visions of Portland's 

 far-famed products in the way of Acidalia degeneraria and Agrotis 

 pracox, with Thymelicus actceon quite in the neighbourhood, 

 seemed to offer temptation enough. All the ships having joined 

 the flag, we left again on July 16th for Berehaven, where, 

 however, our stay proved to be only for five hours, as we were 

 hurried on to Lough Swilly. 



Here we had a day or two before hostilities commenced, so I 

 managed to get ashore on July 21st. There were, however, not 

 many butterflies about, though it was a bright afternoon and hot 

 enough climbing the hills in the sun. Epinephele ianira was the 

 commonest species on the wing ; the markings on the under side 

 of the hind wings seem more pronounced than usual. Satyrus 

 semele, two only, apparently just emerging. Lyccena icariis, 

 common in cornfields. Pieris napi, one only. P. hrassicce, 

 common. When I left England in 1896 I had not seen one for 

 two or three years. I think it was in 1894 that they seemed 

 suddenly to disappear, but now they have apparently become as 

 common as ever. Camptogramma bilineata, one, beaten. The 

 absence of moths seems remarkable. 



On July 26th we left Lough Swilly to make a long detour 

 into the Atlantic and up the Channel to Queenstown, and by the 

 time we got there hostilities had ceased. After another stay of 

 a few days at Portland we returned to Sheerness to pay off, and 

 now there was more leisure for collecting. 



On August 11th I took the net out along the clay cliffs of 

 Sheppey — well-known to fossil-hunters. In the Dockyard, on 

 the way, I saw a few worn Stilpnotia salicis on the poplars, and 

 a Macroglossa stellatarum buzzing around a coal-heap, an object 

 which seems to exercise a great fascination for this species. 

 Arrived at the cliffs, the lucerne fields were found to be the great 

 attraction, being simply alive with insect life. Colias edusa was 

 represented by a few specimens, but C. hyale was simply in 

 scores. This latter is more easily captured than edusa, but must 

 be caught at the first stroke of the net, for, once alarmed, pursuit 

 through the heavy lucerne is almost useless. Gonepteryx rhamni, 



