54 



Some years ago Mr. South, while collecting along the downs under 

 Beachy Head, took some larvae in shoots of Rosa sJ)i/iosissima, from 

 which he bred an interesting form of Peronea permutana. I have 

 often since that time searched the scrubby bushes of the plant that 

 grows sparingly on the banks all along # the hollows of these downs ; 

 but although there were the most distinct evidences of the larvae 

 having been there, sometimes quite plentifully, I had never succeeded 

 in taking one — I had always been too late. The present season 

 being a late one, and the time of my visit somewhat earlier than pre- 

 viously, I thought I should have a good opportunity of finding some 

 larva?. I accordingly devoted an afternoon to the back-aching task, 

 and had the satisfaction of finding a fine full-grown one ; but it was 

 the only one, all the other shoots had been deserted. Yet it is some 

 satisfaction to know that the food-plant still flourishes in the district, 

 and that the insect retains a footing in it. 



It is now upwards of twenty years since I journeyed to Eastbourne 

 with my friends Lachlan Gibb, and the late George Shearwood, with 

 the expressed intention of having a day among the Pyrales. It was 

 a glorious day at the later part of July, and I shall never forget the 

 wealth of life in that particular group that we met with. The whole 

 day was spent on the rough cliff front between the Wish Tower and 

 the chalk-pit near Holywell, and long before it was time to return 

 every box we had was filled twice over. How different has it been of 

 late years ! The whole of these rough cliff banks have been turned 

 into parades and roads, and although the Pyrales held a footing on 

 the more distant cliffs and downs for a time, my experience of recent 

 years appeared to show that they were year by year diminishing in 

 numbers, until I feared, when in the neighbourhood two years ago, 

 that they had disappeared altogether. Happy, therefore, was I to 

 find that my fears were unfounded, at any rate so far as two of the 

 species formerly most common are concerned. Of these, Stetlia 

 punctalis was the more abundant. On the memorable occasion just 

 referred to it was met with in the utmost profusion, numbers flitting 

 up out of the herbage at every step that one took. For some years 

 afterwards, although the greater part of its domain had been 

 destroyed, it affected a small piece of waste ground that remained in 

 its vicinity, but appeared to be diminishing in numbers year by year, 

 and in 1896 I failed to find it. This summer, however, it again 

 occurred there, although sparingly, and I was glad to find another 

 and larger colony a couple of miles further along the coast, where it 

 appears to be in somewhat greater plenty, and where it is subject to 

 considerably less chance of disturbance. Odd specimens may be 

 found over the greater part of the ground between the two places 

 referred to, but it is only in sheltered spots having fairly thick cover 

 that the species appears to exist in any numbers. Odontia dentalis 

 used to occur, although somewhat sparingly, with the last-named 

 species, but I have not met with it in the district for many years. I 

 have not, however, lost all hope of yet finding it, as its food-plant, 



