268 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



there is a little room to move ; or one may scramble down 30 ft. 

 or so on to the extreme brink, and net the insects as they come 

 up, with the pleasant thought that a too excited step will land 

 one some 150 ft. below on the rocks or in the sea. That L. caniola 

 does not confine itself entirely to the cliffs, I proved by taking 

 three specimens from a lamp-post on my way home about half- 

 past ten. My largest take on any one night was sixteen, and 

 only once in three weeks did I fail to get any. The total result 

 was about sixty specimens ; their condition very fair for such a 

 fragile insect. Only one that I saw really looked as if just out. 



For the first week the wind was in the south-west, and my 

 run nicely sheltered, but nothing worth taking turned up. Then 

 came a spell of strong east wind, and the results grew worse and 

 worse, until matters reached a climax on the 21st, when only six 

 very common things were found on about one hundred posts. 

 This proved to be the darkness before the dawn, which came on 

 my last two nights, the 22nd and 23rd ; the wind dropped, the 

 air was dry and fairly warm, and insects began to come to sugar. 

 By the worn appearance of most of them, it was not lack of 

 insects, but bad conditions, which had prevented them from 

 coming before. The chief catch on the 22nd was Leucania alhi- 

 puncta, in very fair condition, but by no means fresh ; whilst the 

 23rd was signalised by a pair of Laphijgma exigua — one fair, one 

 badly worn. 



Caradrina ambigua was first taken on the 14th, and turned 

 up in ones and twos, but never abundantly. The takes of the last 

 two nights also included Lohophora viretata (netted), Calymnia 

 affinis, Noctiia plecta, N. c-nigrum, Leucania putrescens, L. pallens, 

 Agroiis putay A. sufiisa, and many other common species ; whilst 

 a somewhat startling visitor to the sugar was Locusta viridissima, 

 of gigantic size. Apamea oculea occurred in bewildering variety, 

 sometimes approaching the colouring of Mamestra persicaria. 



On the whole, but for Leucania alhipimcta and Laphygma 

 exigua, the results were disappointing. With regard to the 

 latter insect, it did not turn up till just ten o'clock, and was 

 found on a post which had been examined not ten minutes 

 before ; the second was found fifteen minutes later at nearly the 

 same spot. I believe that systematic netting while examining 

 the sugar would produce more of this rare little insect ; but this 

 requires a skilled companion, and is not always possible. 



Day-work at Babbicombe does not seem very productive. 

 Beyond Bryophila muralis, only a few poor specimens of Larentia 

 olivata and one Anticlea ruhidata are worth mentioning. Cidaria 

 picata, said to be found on the Bishop's Walk, was beaten for in 

 vain, and, although the second brood of Acontia liictuosa was 

 carefully hunted for, not a single specimen was seen. Most of 

 the walls swarmed with Bryophila muralis, and I confined myself 

 to a single piece about twenty yards long, clean and newish 



