AGrius Convolvuli. 3?5 



(Jennings), at Brighton (Meaden), and at Norwich (Thouless). Nor 

 does rain seem to prevent their flight, for Rollason notes that two 

 appeared at dusk, at Truro, on September 22nd, 1901, in torrents 

 of rain at the flowers, and Schultz states ( Illns. Zeits. filr Ent., iv., 

 p. 208) that, whereas Ewnorpha elpenor, Thei'etra porcellus and 

 Sphinx ligustri only comes to flowers and sugar on mild nights, A. 

 convolvuli also comes, even if in small numbers, on cool windy 

 nights, and even if there be rain. The migration of this 

 species is accepted by all well-informed lepidopterists. Its 

 sudden appearance in different years over vast areas, the speci- 

 mens in good, bad and indifferent conditions, in districts where 

 not a specimen has been seen for some time hitherto, is probably the 

 most important factor on which this opinion has been based. 

 Williams records (Ent. Wk. Int., vi., p. 163) a specimen that flew on 

 board a vessel in the middle of the Bristol Channel, and was caught 

 by one of the sailors, on August 12th, 1859. Bold notes (E. M. M., v., 

 p. 172) that a fine specimen was taken on board the steamer "Lord Rag- 

 lan "on September 29th, 1868, when she was 5 miles from Tynemouth, 

 a second also fluttering around the light of a sailing vessel which was 

 making for the Tyne, and at a considerable distance from the land; Eales 

 found one floating on the Tyne, near South Shields, on September 13th, 

 187 1 (E.M.M., viii., p. in), and Robson says that they are 

 often taken on fishing-boats at sea at night off the Durham coast 

 at rest, whilst Lawson states (Porritt's List of Yorks. Lep., p. 17) 

 that, at Bridlington, the species is frequently taken off the sails 

 of shipping out at sea. Perkins records one (Ent. Wk. Int., x., p. 202) 

 taken on a boat moored a little way up the Tyne; and Webb 

 another (E.M.M., xxxi., p. 268) that flew on board a smack in the 

 North Sea, 40 miles from land, towards the end of August, 1895. West 

 writes (Ent., x., p. 300) that, on October 6th, 1876, an example 

 of A. convolvuli alighted on one of the Dublin Steam Packet Company's 

 steamers when some miles off the Irish coast. Frere records one cap- 

 tured, in 1887, on the seashore at Cromarty {Ent., xx., p. 303), Freeman 

 the same year picked one out of the river, near Ipswich (loc. cit.J. 

 Cordeaux says ( Nat., August, 1884) that, some years since, many were 

 washed up by the waves on the coast between Spurn and Kilnsea, 

 having doubtless perished in the crossing ; Burgess-Sopp notes one 

 captured on a fishing-boat at Hoylake, on September 30th, 1901 

 Dutton records one captured on the sail of a barge in the river Foss, at 

 York, and Donovan notes (E.M.M., xxii., p. 134) that, on September 

 22nd, 1885, a living example was found floating on the sea in Glandore 

 Harbour, a second seen a week later similarly floating on the water in 

 the harbour. Coupin is noted (E Amateur de Papillons), as stating 

 that A. convolvuli migrates to Europe from Algeria. The years 

 in which the species has been recorded as exceptionally abundant 

 in Britain are 1846, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1868, 1876, 1885, 1887, 1895, 

 1901. It has often been asserted that the autumnal ? specimens 

 of this species and of M. atropos are barren, or that they have 

 the eggs in an undeveloped state, but this is a normal condition for 

 these (and probably all usually migrating Sphingids), the eggs being 

 developed after pairing has taken place and when the $ s have 

 done considerable feeding, nor will they lay without this feeding, as 

 witness Corbin's record (Ent., vi., p. 520) that he obtained a pairing on 

 October 4th, 1869, but that the $ deposited no eggs although kept for 



