33° MISCELLANEA, I917 1 92 I 



iron railing to protect it. It continued to bring forth its leaf 

 in due season, and it bore fruit up to present year, 191 7, but 

 succumbed, alas, to "chill October's stormy blast !" Not one 

 of the four ancient trees remains. 



Coniwlviiliis Haiuk Moth (Sphinx convolvuli). 



Of interest to entomologists was the sporadic appearance 

 of this fine, bold moth during the summer of 1917. Two or 

 three specimens were brought by strangers to the Hancock 

 Museum during August for identification, but it was soon 

 established that these were not solitary finds, for shortly after- 

 wards several were recorded, chiefly from the coast or not far 

 inland. Records of such were made at Whitley Bay and 

 Ovingham by Prof. Meek; East Piolywell, Stannington and 

 Cullercoats by Mr. J. W. Thompson ; Embleton by Mr. J. Meek; 

 Prestwick Car by Dr. Martin ; Belford by Mr. J. Purvis ; 

 Nevvcastle-on-Tyne by Mr. J. N. Tate ; Gateshead by Mr. J. 

 Thompson; Winlaton by Mr. J. Atkin ; Stocksfield (male and 

 female) by Mr. W. L. Turner. One of our members, stationed 

 near the coast in Kent, found the moth flying in large numbers 

 and took five specimens. 



In response to a letter which the editor of Ahtture was good 

 enough to insert on September 20th, it was found that the 

 moth had been taken to the west and north over a wide area. 

 Col. Fawcett of Leicester kindly reported that a male and 

 two females had been taken there and a male at Kirkby 

 Mallory, nine miles west. Another on a tobacco plant at 

 Bath by Mr. H. H. Winwood ; one at Blandford in Dorset; 

 at Winsford, Cheshire, by Mr. Ledward ; at Kendal by Mr. 

 Geo. Nicholson ; at St. Andrews in the Castle ground by Dr. 

 Walter S. Collinge. 



The record is by no means complete ; it is, however, 

 sufficient to suggest an inmiigration from the near Continent 

 and to lead one to eiujuire why it is not a yearly occurrence. 

 Sphinx convolvvli is described as being rare throughout 

 Britain by Mr. J. E. Robson in his Catalogue of local 

 Lepidoptera, Natural History Transactions, vol. XII., pp. 39 



