Bye THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD. 
It seemed funny to me to climb to the marsh land and find it in 
narrow very wet valleys, high up, bedecked with marsh orchids, yellow 
with Iris, and edged with Rock Cistus and Scabious, with pink Lychnis 
floscuculi and Purple Bugle, and dotted with Hquisetum. 
Of course I was only in the district from June 2nd to June 16th, 
arriving late on June 2nd and departing on June 16th, and it was only 
on alternate days that collecting was indulged in at all seriously, so 
that my results, though seemingly meagre, represent only some 50 to 
60 hours actual work, besides I was more anxious to explore and 
observe than collect. In addition we only had push bikes; the 
gradients are very severe, being more often than not single figures 
under 8. This curtailed our activity—one wants plenty of power. No 
night work was attempted in deference to the Defence of the Realm 
Regulations. 
A regular collecting expedition would be very fruitful, but per- 
sonally I should not care to do night work alone there, my hearing is 
too defective. I think that there is every chance of a bull charging 
searchlight, sheet, and everything else. _ 
Taking my captures as a whole they presented the appearance of a 
limestone country catch. Parasemia plantaginis, the colour of 
Polyommatus icarus, their size and abundance, the presence of Adscita 
(Ino) statices, Heliaca tenebrata, Zygaena filipendulae and Aricia medon 
(astrarche). Yet this is shown more by the relative abundance of 
Species rare with usin Hast Dorset than otherwise. The difference, 
however, between the sandier soil of the Fuller’s Harth and the rich 
lime laden soil of the Oolite and Chalk is very much more marked on 
the latter. Brenthis selene is very abundant, Huclidia glyphica, Adscita 
(Ino) statices, Heliaca tenebrata, Melitaea aurinia, and Parasemia planta- 
ginis occur, whilst the common insects are more abundant. The con- 
necting link between the two classes of formations is Avricia medon 
(astrarche), scarce on both, and atypical limestone soil insect, Zygaena 
filipendulae, and its race huppocrepidis, also forms a link. 
The most marked difference, however, existed between the strip of 
Gault and Greensand with its wetness and the residue of the area, as it 
was in that that insect life teemed, 1t was on that alone that 1 obtained 
Melitaea aurinia, whilst Polyommatus icarus was nearer the Irish blue 
and finer and better scaled. Rwmicia phlaeas was larger, Hemaris 
tityus (bombyliformis) was pretty sure to be seen but not to be caught, 
Odezia atrata (chaerophyllata) was flitting about, blueblack in the sun- 
shine, brenthis selene swarmed as [ have never seen it before, Callo- 
phrys rubi ornamented the bramble and Hamearis (Nemeobius) lucina 
the hazel. Plusia iota buzzed out of the rushes, whilst Huclidia glyphica 
fluttered uncertainly up the grass stems. 
On the other hand some insects not present on the Bagshot, the 
typical formation of Kast Dorset, but present on the London clay and 
Bracklesham Beds in the New Forest, and on the Purbeck Limestone and 
Wealden, which are yet not strictly limestone, are present and spread 
over the district, such as Pararge aegeria var. egerides, which I am 
accustomed to look upon as a wood insect. In West Dorset it is an 
insect of the deep lanes, as itisin Devonshire, not common, but almost 
never absent from deep and shady lanes, and, as will be noted, restricted 
to the Oolite. Leptosia sinapis, the Wood White, is still in the locality, 
