CATAliO&UE OF MOTHS. 43 



Manual, but probably Mr. Sang's record above refers to the 

 same capture. A specimen occurred on a window ledge there 

 subsequently, and is recorded in the Ent. W. Int., vol. ix., p. 10, 

 by Mr. W. Breadnell. It has twice been taken at Hartlepool, 

 the first being left at my house by a boy in the year 1870, 

 during the prevalence of a strong easterly gale. The second 

 was taken in a grocer's shop in I^orthgate in 1885. The larva, 

 which feeds on the Yine or on the Virginia Creeper, has once 

 or twice been met with in England but never in our district. 



9. G. Porcellus (Linn.). Small Elephai^t Hawz-Moth. 



Choerocampa Porcellus. Staint. Man., vol. i., p. 97. 



,, ,, JN'ewm. Brit. Moths, p. 10. 



., ,, Barr. Lep. Brit. Is., vol. ii., p. 55. 



,, ,, Meyr. Hdbk. Brit. Lep., p. 296. 



Larva. Buck., vol. ii., pi. xxv., fig. 1 ; 0. Wils., pl.viii., fig 3. 



This beautiful Hawk-Moth occurs all along our coasts, wher- 

 ever the sandy banks produce the favourite food of the larva, 

 Galium verum (Yellow Bedstraw). It is true that it will feed 

 on G. Mollugo (White Bedstraw) and G. aparine (Groose-Gras's), 

 and even on Epilohium and Lythrum, but Galium verum is the 

 food preferred. It also appears to prefer a sandy habitat, per- 

 haps because it can so easily burrow in the loose sand during 

 the heat of the day. Mr. Wailes (Trans. T. IS". E. C, vol. iii., 

 p. 230) mentions finding the larvae early in the morning of a 

 wet, gloomy day, but when he came the following day to pro- 

 cure more, not one was to be found until he disturbed the sand 

 at the roots of the plants. He also relates that Capt. C. Blomer, 

 when in Egypt, used a garden rake successfully for this pur- 

 pose. I have only found the larva at night by searching with 

 a lantern. 



The earliest record of the species in our district is that of the 

 Twizell List, which states that the species is not uncommon. 

 Mr. J. T. Bold took three specimens of the perfect insect on the 

 sea-banks. In the same neighbourhood, Bambro', Mr. L. S. 



