SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



173 



LEPIDOPTERA IN EPPING FOREST. 

 By W. Mansbridge. 



T DID not begin out-door work this season until 

 the end of March, when a visit to the forest 

 produced a nice series of Tortricoides hycmana, by 

 beating the thorn bushes ; among them I found a 

 pretty clear grey form. The day was very dull 

 and cloudy, so when disturbed, the moths after a 

 short flight dropped into the grass and simulated 

 death. Such as I had taken in previous years, flying 

 in the sunshine, were much worn. I did not work 

 the sallows bloom at Loughton this year, but I 

 have heard that on favourable evenings the usual 

 Tseniocampidae were abundant. 



April 20th was a warm bright day, and I went 

 out with the hope that I should find the holly-blue 

 butterfly, Lycana argiolus, but was disappointed, 

 though I met with it sparingly a fortnight later. 

 On this occasion I searched the tree-boles for Diurnea 

 fagella, to see if, after an absence of four years 

 from the London district, the percentage of 

 black forms had increased. After taking a long 

 series I could not see any difference in this 

 direction, which somewhat surprised me, as in the 

 north, even away from the smoky areas, I have 

 noted a distinct increase in the proportion of the 

 melanic variety in each season I worked there. 

 At dusk I captured several specimens of Selenia 

 bilunaria and Anticlea badiata. 



Early in May, besides the "holly-blues," Fidonia 

 atomaria was captured at Loughton, and Tephrosia 

 biundalaria was met with sparingly on the oaks in 

 Hawk Wood. Although one does not get many 

 insects the first week or two in May, the beauty of 

 the forest fully compensates for the lack of sport. 

 The beeches are brilliant in the first burst of tender 

 green; hornbeams not quite so forward; oaks just 

 beginning to burst oft the brown bud-scales; while 

 the wild cherry and crab trees which occur here 

 and there in the forest are in full leaf and blossom. 

 At Loughton one can see the trees to advantage as 

 they rise above on the slopes, and from Monk 

 Wood there are some charming views right across 

 the forest. Already the advance-guard of the 

 coming millions of spring larvae, Cheimatobia bru- 

 mata, C. boreata, Hybernia defoliaria, H. aurantiaria, 

 and other less numerous species, are making their 

 presence apparent by perforations, minute as yet, 

 in the young foliage, while at night the assiduous 

 collector will find the larvae of many of the 

 June noctuae feeding on low plants and shrubs. 

 By the middle of the month the pretty little 

 skipper butterfly, Syricthus malva, was well out 

 and in splendid condition, and the ubiquitous 

 Canonympha pamphilus enlivened the open spaces 

 and rides with its restless motions. Fidonia atomaiia 



was abundant, but careful searching failed to 

 detect any distinct variation. Euclidia mi and I'hy- 

 lometra viridaria { = anca) were kicked out, as also 

 Panagva petraria and Mclanippe sociata, while the 

 interesting little Epichnopteryx pulla was obtained 

 in some numbers by sweeping. Corycia temerata 

 and Orgyia pudibunda were also taken. A pretty 

 sight was the needle-whin {Genista anglica] which is 

 so abundant in the forest, and then in flower, 

 especially interesting to entomologists as being 

 the pabulum of Pseudoterpna cyiisaria. The dwarf 

 sallow we found attractive to day-flying insects, 

 but it is about over when the early butterflies 

 appear. 



All through May the evenings were cold and 

 often very misty in the forest, so that it was very 

 little use working the rides at dusk. Towards the 

 end of the month beating in the daytime was fairly 

 productive, the usual common species being taken. 

 In Hawk Wood, Corycia temerata was more 

 common ; Ephyra trilinearia could be beaten from 

 the beeches ; Coremia ferrugata, C. unidentaria, and 

 C. designata (=-propngiiata) were taken sparingly, 

 and the hook-tips, Drepana lacertinaria and D.falca- 

 taria, were occasionally knocked out of bushes in 

 the neighbourhcod of birch. I did not get D. ha- 

 mula this year. The forest presented a strik- 

 ing contrast to the earlier part of the month ; the 

 armies of caterpillars had devastated the trees, 

 many, especially the hornbeams, being completely 

 stripped of foliage. Perhaps we do not altogether 

 regret this from our own point of view, for later the 

 trees will burst out again as if a second spring had 

 come, and then— remember the chance of varieties 

 of Hybernia defoliaria in the autumn. 



I commenced sugaring the first week in June at 

 Chingford, and found the usual common species 

 very abundant. Noctua /estiva was in swarms at 

 every tree, as also was Agrctis exclamationis, of 

 which I secured some very nice forms. Grammesia 

 trigrammica appeared to be less numerous than in 

 some years, the var. bilinea not being once seen. 

 Miana fasciuneula was scarce, but its near relative, 

 M . strigilis, came up later in large numbers, and 

 lasted well into August. Less frequent visitors to 

 the sugar were Thyatira batis, Aplecta nebulosa, 

 Noctua triangulum, N. augur, liusina tcnebrosa, and 

 Caradrina morpheus. Xylophasia rurea was very rare 

 this season, only one specimen being taken ; but 

 A", hepatica fully made up for the scarcity of its 

 congener, both in variety and numbers. Towards 

 the end of the month Noctua brunnca succeeded 

 N. f estiva in even greater numbers. 

 9, The Gran, Stratford. E.; July, 1895. 



