MALACOSOMA CASTRENSIS. 543 



Whittle notes that whilst breeding these moths, three males emerged 

 on July 21st, 1897, and were found resting on two cocoons, which 

 afterwards (on July 26th and 27th) produced two females. In Eng- 

 land the species is excessively local, being practically confined to the 

 saltings of the Thames and Medway, and the marshes for some 

 distance along the Essex and Suffolk coasts. One suspects its possible 

 occurrence also on the salt marshes of the south coast, since it occurs 

 on the opposite side of the English Channel. In Denmark, too, it is, 

 as with us, a coast species. In the Netherlands it is confined to 

 heaths, and Eichter observes that it inhabits similar districts in 

 Dessau, but Selys de Longchamps notes it as occurring in the large 

 woods of Belgium, and Speyer says that in the north and north- 

 eastern parts of its range it prefers sandy districts and heaths. Zeller 

 says that it occurs everywhere on the low sandy hills around Meseritz, 

 in Posen. At Abruzzi, in the Eoman Campagna, Calberla records it 

 as exceedingly abundant at 1500m. elevation, whilst in Asia, in the 

 Kentei mountains, Staudinger says it is common in the elevated 

 meadows ; in Nassau, Bossier observes that it is confined to warm 

 high-lying places, and Eversmann says that it is distributed over the 

 Caspian littoral; Guenee gives " collines et lieux calcaires " in the 

 Eure-et-Loir, whilst Dupont captures it " sur un coteau calcaire," 

 near Pont de l'Arche. On the salt marshes of the Medway and 

 Thames the larvae are sometimes in extraordinary abundance, near 

 Leigh, in Essex, Vaughan notes them as exceptionally abundant in 

 1871 and 1874, whilst Jones says that in 1871, in a field on Cliffe 

 marshes, in which the grass had been cut, and where there was no 

 trace of sea- wormwood, the larvae could have been collected in thou- 

 sands. Yet in the same year, at Queenborough (Ent. Mo. May., viii., 

 p. 185), Walker says that he could only find a few starved and stunted 

 larva?, although they are usually very abundant in the locality. 

 Whittle observes that he suspected that the great floods of November, 

 1897, would have seriously affected the distribution of the species at 

 Great Wakering, but it was as abundant as ever in 1898, and he saw 

 few larvae away from the well-known stretch of marsh. Kerry notes 

 that near Harwich the species occurs on the " bentlings," where the 

 eggs must frequently be under Avater, and Mera found it on the sea- 

 wall at Bawdsey. We have already noted (antea, p. 537) the great 

 abundance in which Ingall found it in 1856, at Queenborough, and he 

 states that the larvae seem to revel in the moist places overgrown 

 with grass, Artemisia, Statics, and other salt-marsh plants. Harwood 

 notes the larvae as especially common some seasons along the bases of 

 the sea-wall of the north Essex coast, and says that this is to be 

 accounted for by the eggs being laid round the stems of grass and 

 other plants, which, when they become sere and brittle, are frequently 

 broken off and borne by the incoming tide towards the sea-wall, where 

 they may often be detected. In a favourable season the larvae are to 

 be found in amazing numbers, often within a very limited space. In 

 confinement they require an abundant and perfectly fresh supply of 

 food if they are to be reared successfully. The eggs will endure 

 immersion in sea- water for a considerable time without injury ; they 

 nmst be regularly covered by the high tides in their natural haunts in 

 Britain, as also to a less extent must the larva?, for all that I have ever 

 seen have been between the sea-wall and the sea. The larva; appear to 



