﻿ADACTYLUS 
  BENNETII. 
  151 
  

  

  July 
  18th,. 
  1898, 
  at 
  Canvey 
  ; 
  June 
  22nd, 
  July 
  2nd, 
  14th, 
  1898, 
  at 
  

   Shoeburyness 
  (Whittle) 
  ; 
  one 
  captured 
  June 
  1st, 
  1899, 
  at 
  Benfleet 
  

   (Edwards) 
  ; 
  July 
  4th, 
  1900, 
  at 
  Maldon 
  (Raynor) 
  ; 
  June 
  2nd, 
  1901, 
  at 
  

   Benfleet 
  (Whittle) 
  ; 
  July 
  18th, 
  1901, 
  at 
  Northey 
  Island 
  (Raynor) 
  ; 
  

   July 
  21st-24th, 
  1902, 
  at 
  Benfleet 
  (Whittle) 
  ; 
  first 
  imagines 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   observed 
  May 
  30th, 
  fully 
  out 
  from 
  June 
  8th-15th, 
  1904, 
  at 
  Strood 
  ; 
  

   imagines 
  of 
  second 
  brood 
  already 
  out 
  July 
  17th, 
  and 
  became 
  very 
  

   abundant, 
  the 
  last 
  imago 
  being 
  taken 
  August 
  17th, 
  1904 
  (Ovenden). 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  Carrington's 
  statement 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  imagines 
  

   may 
  be 
  disturbed 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  foodplant 
  throughout 
  the 
  day, 
  

   especially 
  during 
  fine 
  calm 
  afternoons," 
  we 
  would 
  suggest 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   next 
  to 
  impossible 
  to 
  disturb 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  daytime. 
  Barrett 
  also 
  says 
  

   that 
  the 
  moth 
  sits 
  among 
  its 
  foodplant 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  having 
  its 
  

   forewings 
  rolled 
  round 
  the 
  hind 
  into 
  a 
  cylinder, 
  slightly 
  raised 
  and 
  

   thrown 
  forwards 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  manner 
  that 
  it 
  resembles 
  a 
  letter 
  "Y." 
  

   He 
  adds 
  that 
  it 
  flies 
  if 
  disturbed, 
  but 
  only 
  to 
  another 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  

   of 
  sea-lavender, 
  again 
  to 
  swing 
  by 
  its 
  long 
  legs 
  and 
  assume 
  the 
  

   curious 
  rolled 
  -up 
  form 
  which 
  renders 
  it 
  so 
  difficult 
  a 
  creature 
  to 
  set 
  out 
  

   after 
  death. 
  Our 
  experience 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  appear 
  naturally 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  at 
  

   dusk, 
  often 
  simultaneously, 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  flight 
  for 
  the 
  

   June 
  brood 
  being 
  as 
  nearly 
  as 
  possible 
  8.40 
  p.m., 
  and 
  lasting 
  for 
  about 
  

   30-40 
  minutes, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  imagines 
  are 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   searching 
  (Ovenden), 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  brood 
  from 
  about 
  7.30 
  p.m. 
  to 
  

   8 
  p.m., 
  in 
  late 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  fluttering 
  up 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  

   growing 
  in 
  their 
  habitat, 
  and 
  taking 
  short 
  flights 
  among 
  the 
  herbage, 
  

   and 
  from 
  flower 
  to 
  flower 
  of 
  their 
  foodplant, 
  the 
  $ 
  s, 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  probably 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  oviposition. 
  They 
  fly 
  thus 
  actively 
  for 
  rather 
  

   less 
  than 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  hour, 
  i.e., 
  until 
  darkness 
  has 
  fully 
  set 
  in, 
  

   and 
  may 
  then 
  be 
  found 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  herbage, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  light, 
  but 
  

   comparatively 
  few 
  in 
  number 
  so 
  that 
  one 
  suspects 
  many 
  are 
  still 
  actively 
  

   on 
  the 
  wing. 
  Those 
  at 
  rest 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  standing 
  on 
  the 
  grass 
  and 
  reed 
  

   culms, 
  or 
  on 
  flowers 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  with 
  the 
  wings 
  rolled 
  up 
  tube-like 
  in 
  

   the 
  Y-like 
  form 
  above 
  described, 
  as 
  if 
  to 
  occupy 
  the 
  least 
  possible 
  space, 
  

   and 
  so 
  exactly 
  resembling 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  dried 
  grass 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  perceived 
  with 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  difficulty. 
  Moncreaff 
  states 
  (Ent., 
  v., 
  p. 
  321) 
  that 
  the 
  

   imagines 
  fly 
  abundantly 
  over 
  Statice 
  limonium 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  in 
  the 
  

   saltmarshes 
  around 
  Portsmouth. 
  Curtis 
  noted 
  their 
  peculiar 
  mode 
  of 
  

   rest 
  when 
  he 
  first 
  discovered 
  the 
  species 
  at 
  Tollsbury, 
  and 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  

   mothsassumeda 
  most 
  singular 
  attitude, 
  and 
  resembled 
  so 
  much 
  the 
  dead 
  

   pieces 
  of 
  grass 
  that 
  the 
  eye 
  did 
  not 
  readily 
  distinguish 
  them 
  until 
  they 
  

   took 
  flight. 
  Sheldon 
  observed 
  them 
  flying 
  at 
  dusk 
  at 
  Freshwater 
  ; 
  

   Hodgson 
  saw 
  them 
  commonly 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  flying 
  at 
  dusk 
  over 
  

   S. 
  limonium 
  at 
  Sheerness. 
  Whittle 
  records 
  examples 
  at 
  sugar 
  at 
  

   Shoeburyness, 
  and 
  Morley 
  at 
  electric 
  light 
  in 
  August, 
  1895, 
  at 
  Ipswich. 
  

  

  Habitat.— 
  Curtis 
  claims 
  (British 
  Entom., 
  fo. 
  471) 
  to 
  have 
  discovered 
  

   this 
  species 
  in 
  England, 
  among 
  the 
  grass 
  and 
  seashore 
  plants 
  growing 
  

   on 
  the 
  salterns 
  at 
  Tollsbury, 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Essex, 
  in 
  July, 
  1882. 
  

   The 
  haunts 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  the 
  marshes 
  by 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  almost 
  all 
  

   tidal 
  rivers 
  around 
  our 
  eastern 
  and 
  southern 
  coasts, 
  where 
  the 
  Static* 
  

   limonium 
  grows. 
  It 
  haunts 
  such 
  localities 
  along 
  the 
  estuary 
  of 
  the 
  

   Thames, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  rivers 
  that 
  open 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  Essex, 
  Suffolk, 
  Norfolk 
  and 
  Durham, 
  of 
  Kent. 
  Hampshire 
  

   and 
  Dorset. 
  It 
  abounds 
  on 
  the 
  marshes 
  at 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  