ENTOMOLOGY OF EPPING. 



153 



with the delicious fragrance of the humble lily of the valley. 

 But there are none of the umbelliferous plants, of which the 

 JEgeriites and Lepturites are so fond. The underwood is cut 

 in rotation when at about fifteen years growth, which of course 

 affects the number of insects. But this is increased or di- 

 minished by causes which seem to defy all our attempts at 

 discovering them. Species vanish from spots where they have 

 abounded, and we know not why : no change perceptible to us 

 has taken place in any of the peculiarities of the spot, but its 

 old inhabitants are gone. The hand of man cannot have exter- 

 minated them, as it has the noblest tenants of our woods; their 

 countless numbers are not to be destroyed by him as the Acci- 

 pilres have been. Have they fallen a prey to the tribes of 

 insectivorous birds which abound here ? for this is truly, 



" A populous solitude of bees and birds, 

 And fairy forms, and many coloured things." 



But they are not now more numerous than they formerly were. 

 Perhaps they have fallen before foes more nearly of their own 

 rank in creation, — enemies more of their own kind. It may 

 be so; but we know too little of their history to be able to 

 judge. 



We can easily conceive that those insects which prefer the 

 tall underwood will not remain when that is cleared, neither 

 will those which prefer the newly-cleared parts remain after 

 these have grown up. But spots congenial to their habits are 

 always close by ; yet we find insects which once abounded 

 becoming gradually more rare, or suddenly disappearing alto- 

 gether. Until within the last four or five years, Rhynchites 

 populi, Saperda populnea, Chrysomela rufipes, C. decem- 

 punctata, Campylis dispar, Telephorus Alpinus, Pogonocerus 

 nebulosus, Clythra 4<-maculata, Melandria caraboides, Apo- 

 derus Avellance, and Attelabus curculionoides, were all far 

 from rare. The six first were abundant in almost all parts of 

 these woods, especially the lovely R. populi, of which a hun- 

 dred might have been collected in a few hours from the young 

 aspen shoots ; in fact, one stroke of my stick has brought eight 

 or ten at once into my nets. But now this has totally vanished ; 

 and the five others are so rare, one, two, or three years may 

 pass over without their occurring. The other species men- 

 tioned were never very common, but now they are rare, though 



NO. II. VOL. III. x 



