32 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



The " Hilly Field " was one of a number of localities worked by 

 Stainton, and probably by every other micro-lepidopterist resident in 

 or near London in the middle of last century. Stainton conducted 

 parties there, and used to advertise the excursion in his magazine, 

 the Entoinolor/ist's Weekly InielUgencer, thus, " Mr. Stainton will be at 

 Mickleham this evening, and will proceed to Headley Lane at 7 p.m. 

 Incipients, who are too shy or too afraid of intruding, to come to 

 ' Mountsfield ' (his residence), may perhaps pluck up courage to meet 

 one in a lane ! '"' 



Following Douglas's instructions, I — in imagination — met Stain- 

 ton, and proceeded with him up Headley Lane for a mile or more, 

 until I came to a farmhouse on the right ; a few yards past this a stile 

 is found in«the fence of the wooded hillside on the left. Getting over 

 this stile one breasts the hill steeply for a dozen yards or so, when an 

 old path, deeply sunk in the chalk of the hill-side, crosses the track by 

 which it is reached, at right angles ; one turns along this to the right, 

 and keeps to it, not leaving it for any cross paths, until the end of the 

 wood is reached, when the real " Hilly Field is seen in front of one. 



Seen, but alas, not reached; for it is now encircled with a very 

 nasty barbed Vv-ire fence, difficult to negociate. The reason for which 

 is that the field is now sacred to the culture of " Brer Rabbit," legions 

 of which useful rodent make their home in it. The wire fence is not 

 absolutely unclimbable, and after a search I found a vulnerable spot and 

 entered. 



I was not molested on this, or on a subsequent visit which I made ; 

 gamekeepers have been practically non-existent during the past few 

 years, and one has been able to wander almost anywhere without let or 

 hindrance ; I suspect, however, when times get normal it will be 

 different, and the "Hilly Field" will be "taboo " to most of us. It 

 appears to be now very much what it was when Stainton and his com- 

 pany rambled through. One description of it is " there are so many 

 flowers that the grass is without room to grow," and certainly the 

 sward is almost entirely composed of the flowering plants that are so 

 conspicuous on a chalk down, marjoram, woodsage. Inula co)>yza, and 

 Pastinaca sativa were amongst the most conspicuous ; less so, but 

 almost equally abundant, were Prunella rtthjarin, wild strawberry, 

 Ervjeron acris, and many others the names of which I do not 

 now remember. 



One of the characteristics of the spot was said to be " that there 

 were as many insects as flowers," and certainly this description applies 

 DOW. Pyraiista j^urparalis and P. ostrinalis were in thousands, one is 

 tempted to say millions, on the occasion of my first visit, Sericoris 

 rividana was almost as abundant. " One does not usually meet with 

 this species in great numbers ! " an old friend, who had studied micro- 

 lepidoptera for perhaps half a century, said to me a short time ago. I 

 wished I had him with me ! Peronea aspersana flew in dozens, with 

 plenty of Setina irrorella. A pair of Qidematophor\is lithodactyla, 

 knocked out of Inula couyza, puzzled me, I did not recognise this as a 

 food -plant of the species, and had hopes that they might prove to be 

 Hellenda carphodactyla, with which I was not familiar. Amongst 

 PJrif/eroti acris I found Eupoecilia anthemidana common, they flew freely 

 by six o'clock in the evening (summertime). A clump of spruce trees, 

 planted since Stainton's time, produced numerous examples of PaedUca 



