36 



purple loosestrife {^Lythrum salkaria), marsh wound-wort {Stachys 

 pabistris\ meadow-sweet {Spircea ulviaria), gipsy wort {Lycopus 

 europ(eus), tufted vetch {Vicia cfacca), tansy {Tanacetum vulgare), 

 sneesewort {Achillea ptarmicd), flea-bane {Pulicaria dysenterica), 

 greater skull-cap {Scutellaria galericnlata), great valerian ( Valeriana 

 officifialis, var. sa>nl>ucifolia), comfrey {Symphytum officinale), hemp 

 agrimony {Eupatorimn ca)i7iabinum), water bistort {Polygonum am- 

 phibium), harebell {Campanula rotundifolia), fine-leaved heath {Erica 

 cinerea), cross-leaved heath {Erica tetralix), yellow-pea {Lathyrus 

 pratensis), false cyperus ( Cares pseudo-cyperus), and Canadian-weed 

 {Elodea canadensis). 



On first reaching the canal from the station in the afternoon a king- 

 fisher was observed, and Mr. Step reports the presence of the moor- 

 hen, coot, female wild duck with young, and the finding of a nest of 

 the whitethroat containing three eggs. 



Turning to the insects, a number of dragon-flies were recorded, but 

 none that were not previously known for the district. Those found 

 were ^Eschna grandis, two ; Calopteryx splendens ; Platycnemis pen- 

 nipes, one on the Common ; Erythromma naias ; Pyrrhosoma nym- 

 phula, one seen, I believe ; Ischnura elegans, numerous, one var., 

 nifescens, being taken; Agrion pulchelhmi, one taken by Mr. South; 

 Enallagina cyathigerum, numerous. E. naias and A. pulchellufn are 

 local insects, and this part of the canal is one of their well-known 

 haunts: 



Of the Planipennia two were taken, a lace-wing {Chrysopa ven- 

 tralis), and a suspicious-looking scorpion-fly. This latter was a 

 female which bore some resemblance to the scarce Panorpa cognata. 

 Consequently I sent it, for his opinion, to Mr. K. J. Morton, of 

 Edinburgh, who returned it to me named as cognata. Though it is 

 not easy to distinguish species of Patiorpa in the absence of males, I 

 think we may regard this as belonging to the scarce species. The 

 range of P. cognata in Britain does not seem to be very clear, but the 

 only other localities I know are Folkestone and the New Forest. It 

 is, at any rate, I think, an addition to our county list. 



Of Coleoptera there is a fairly good array : Loticera pilicornis, 

 Ilybius fe/iestratus, Tachinus rufipes, Meligethes ceneus, Scirtes hemi- 

 sphicricus, Donacia versicolora, Lema lichenis, Phyllodecta vitellines, 

 Galerucella sagittarice, Chatocnema subccerulea (one specimen), Cassida 

 equestris, Apion ulicis, A. frumentarum, A. vicice., A. hookeri, A. 

 minimum (scarce and local), A. unicolor, A. hydrolapathi, Strophoso?nus 

 coryli, Gymnetron antirrhini { = G. noctis), Nanophyes lythri{zoxavi\on 

 on purple loosestrife). 



Of Diptera two species were identified as Polietes lardaria { ? ) 

 and Leptis lineola. 



Notes on the Lepidoptera are far from numerous. Mr. Ashdown 

 reports Aphantopus {Epinephele) hyperanthus, and an uncommon- 

 looking lepidopterous larva, which none of the party could identify, 

 but which produced common enough ichneumons. Mr. Priske found 



