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NOTES ON AGROTIS ASRWORTHI1. 

 By Willoughby Gardner. 



Of the many interesting species of Agrotidse inhabiting the 

 British Islands, none have had a greater fascination for the 

 writer for many years past than Agrotis ashivorthii. 



Who, indeed, that has seen the delicate dove-colour upon the 

 wings of this insect, when freshly emerged from the pupa, can 

 help being perpetually captivated by its quiet and unassuming 

 beauty ? 



Beyond the attractiveness of the imago itself as a beautiful 

 object in Nature, the history of the species, its habitat, and a 

 certain justifiable pride in an insect peculiar to one's own 

 home district, have tended to keep up a perennial interest in 

 ashworthii. 



Eunning in a northerly direction from Llanymynach, in 

 Shropshire, through Denbighshire and Flintshire to the sea, and 

 thence, with a slight break, due west along the coast as far as 

 the Great Orme's Head, is a narrow strip of what is known to 

 geologists as carboniferous limestone. This strip of limestone 

 rests unconformably upon a series of hard slaty Silurian rocks, 

 which crop out from below it to the west and south of its course, 

 while to the east and north it dips more or less suddenly beneath 

 newer beds of coal or sandstone or the sea. At intervals between 

 these two extreme points the ridge forms magnificent and 

 picturesque escarpments, often rising to cliffs several hundred 

 feet in height : these are seen at Llanymynach itself, at Llangollen, 

 near Mold, at Llandulas, and at other points. 



It is a curious and most noteworthy fact, that wherever the 

 carboniferous limestone crops up upon the surface of the earth 

 in this country, there a perfect treasure-hoard of objects of 

 interest, for the student of nearly every branch of science, is 

 accumulated, such as is to be found on no other geological 

 formation. 



The entomologist finds upon these long limestone escarpments 

 many rare and interesting insects. Among these may be noted 

 particularly Procris geryon, Mamestra furva, M. abjecta, Agrotis 

 pyrophila, A. lucernea, and, foremost and most attractive of all, 

 Agrotis ashivorthii. Upon this notable, and in so many ways 

 famous, ridge of rock, this species has its home; here it was 

 first discovered, here it still thrives and multiplies, and beyond 

 it rarely seems to stray. 



This beautiful and scarce insect was first discovered by the 

 late Mr. Joseph Ashworth, an ardent entomologist, who resided 

 for some time at Bron Hyfryd, near Llangollen : this house is 

 close by the finest cliffs along the whole range of the above- 

 mentioned limestone rocks, which are known here by the name 



