Field Notes. 235 



any time now seemed to be diminishing, until twenty minutes 

 after the boxing the attraction completely ceased, for males 

 flew past the place in the swift jerky manner charactertistic 

 of the species, but none lingered. Most of the moths undoubt- 

 edly came against the wind to the attraction, and it would 

 seem that the vibrations travelled very slowly, and probably 

 not very far before they were lost in space, for if they travelled 

 far and over a wide area the assembled moths must have far 

 exceeded the number present, for the males on that evening 

 were flying in great abundance. — Ben Morley. 



We do not believe that the vibrations of the wings of the female H. 

 lupulinus have anything to do with attracting the males, beyond diffusing 

 the scent, and possibly aiding the sight of the male, notwithstanding the 

 ' fairy tales ' about wireless telegraphy in moths which have recently 

 appeared in one of our leading county newspapers. But, that some of the 

 species in this genus do act very abnormally in their love making is cer- 

 tain, as it has been demonstrated beyond doubt that the female of 

 Hepialus hiimuli seeks the male, and it is almost equally certain also that 

 the female of H . liectus acts in the same way. — G.T.P. 



Eupithecia coronata at Wakefield.— On June 15th, in 

 company with a few friends, a few hours were spent in Walton 

 Hall Park near Wakefield. The most interesting ' find ' was 

 the capture of ten specimens of EupUhecia coronata, the pretty 

 dull-green V. pug. Until recent years this species was a 

 great rarity in our county. A few years ago Mr. L. S. Brady 

 took it commonly near Sheffield, and four years ago a specimen 

 was taken in Edlington Wood. The capture of the species at 

 Walton Hall Park raises the important question of food plant, 

 as every moth taken was found at rest on the trunks of chestnut, 

 Casianea vulgaris. In the south of England the larva; feed on 

 the flowers of golden-rod, clematis, purple-loosestrife and hemp- 

 agrimony, but at Walton none of these plants grow ; the wood 

 has an undergrowth of bracken and grass only, wild flowers 

 seemingly excluded by the bracken. Under the park wall near 

 by where the moths were found a few straggling brambles 

 grow, but nowhere plentifully. Can it be that the larva; fed 

 on the flowers of these bushes ? but why should the moths 

 prefer to rest on chestnut trees growing amongst an abundance 

 of oak and birch ? Have the larv?e ever been found feeding on 

 the leaves of any forest tree ? — Ben Morley, Skelmanthorpe. 



In the current number of the Entomologist's Record (June 1918, p. 109), 

 Mr. W. Daws records Eupithecia coronata as swarming on sweet chestnut 

 near Mansfield, and says the larvae must feed on the flowers of that tree 

 nothing else suitable occurring in that part of the wood. — G.T.P. 



In the Joiirn. Inst. Petroleum Technologists for February Mr. W. H. 

 Dalton writes on the ' Periodicity in Spouters'. He begins ' Mental 

 indolence, and the impotence arising from ignorance combined with false 

 pride, which endeavour to conceal both, too often lead men ' ; let us hasten 

 to add however, that his note has no political significance, but relates to 

 pumps and oilfields. 



1918J«lyl. 



