MISCELLANEA 1917 — 1921 33I 



and 304 ; especially rare in the north of England. Never 

 taken in the larval state until 1901, when Mr. Proudlock found 

 about 50 in a hedge overgrown with Convohniliis Septum near 

 Seaton Sluice, which were identified by Mr. Robson. As the 

 plant which forms its food is plentiful in this country, one 

 wonders why the moth should not breed here. 



C. E. Robson. 



Camberweii Beauty at Rothbtiry. 



(Extract from letter from Lord Armstrong to 

 Prof. M. C. Potter). 



I am writing to you, as I feel it will be of interest to you 

 and your brother entomologists to hear that on or about May 

 i4tli, 1918, I was working in our woods with my ' lady foresters ' 

 when I saw a fine specimen of the Camberweii Beauty 

 ( Vanessa antiopa). It was quite tame and kept flying about 

 near us in the sunshine during a great part of the afternoon. 

 I could easily have caught it if I had had a net. I see 

 specimens were noted in 1S96 in Berwickshire and the Isle of 

 Skye. 



Rooks and SpaiTOWs. 



For a number of years there has been sad havoc among the 

 oak trees with caterpillars. This year (1918) has been even 

 worse than usual. In many instances there were scarcely any 

 leaves left. If it had not been for the rooks, helped by jack- 

 daws and starlings, the oaks would have had a bad chance of 

 thriving. I take Chopwell Woods which cover well nigh a 

 thousand acres. The rooks know somehow or other when 

 the caterpillars are at their height ; they do not, however, go 

 here or there or any way, but organise themselves, and they 

 seem to work according to plan. When the time arrives for 

 them to start destroying caterpillars, starting early in the 

 morning they take one section of the wood and go thoroughly 

 through it : this lasts for one day ; the next day they take 

 another section and so on till all the wood is searched. This 

 lasts about three weeks. Of course it is impossible to get 



