﻿MARASMARCHA 
  LUNyEDACTYLA. 
  403 
  

  

  although 
  Bower 
  notes 
  having 
  observed 
  it 
  on 
  a 
  fence 
  at 
  Bexley. 
  

   Bankes 
  observes 
  that 
  the 
  insect 
  seems 
  very 
  irregular 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   day 
  at 
  which 
  it 
  emerges 
  from 
  the 
  pupa. 
  Of 
  26 
  specimens, 
  on 
  which 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  exact 
  observations 
  were 
  made, 
  10 
  emerged 
  between 
  10.45 
  p.m. 
  

   and 
  7 
  a.m., 
  while 
  the 
  remaining 
  16 
  did 
  so 
  between 
  7 
  a.m. 
  and 
  6.30 
  p.m. 
  ; 
  

   of 
  the 
  latter, 
  8 
  appeared 
  between 
  7 
  a.m. 
  and 
  11.45 
  a.m., 
  and 
  of 
  these, 
  

   7 
  emerged 
  before 
  10 
  a.m. 
  Many 
  observers 
  note 
  its 
  restriction 
  to 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  its 
  foodplant; 
  thus 
  we 
  have 
  it 
  recorded 
  " 
  Every 
  patch 
  

   of 
  Ononis, 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  small, 
  seems 
  to 
  harbour* 
  the 
  insect 
  at 
  Marlow" 
  

   (A. 
  H. 
  Clarke), 
  only 
  among 
  Ononis 
  at 
  Sidmouth 
  (Raynor), 
  disturbed 
  

   from 
  among 
  Ononis 
  at 
  Cuxton 
  (Bower), 
  common 
  among 
  restharrow 
  at 
  

   Riddlesdown 
  (Sheldon), 
  and 
  at 
  Benfleet 
  (Whittle). 
  Of 
  the 
  pairing 
  

   habits, 
  Bankes 
  notes 
  that 
  a 
  $ 
  and 
  $ 
  , 
  enclosed 
  together 
  in 
  a 
  breeding- 
  

   cage 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  July 
  10th, 
  1904, 
  had 
  not 
  paired 
  by 
  10.45 
  p.m. 
  

   They 
  were 
  found, 
  in 
  cop., 
  however, 
  at 
  7 
  a.m., 
  on 
  July 
  11th, 
  and 
  

   remained 
  so 
  until 
  about 
  1 
  p.m. 
  Speyer 
  observes 
  that, 
  near 
  Rhoden, 
  

   this 
  plume 
  flies 
  abundantly 
  round 
  the 
  bushy 
  plants 
  of 
  Ononis 
  repens, 
  

   imagines, 
  larvae, 
  and 
  pupae 
  occurring 
  in 
  early 
  July 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  ; 
  

   the 
  imagines 
  are 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  their 
  foodplant, 
  

   and 
  are 
  easily 
  disturbed 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  being 
  usually 
  much 
  more 
  

   active 
  than 
  Wheeleria 
  mir/adactyla 
  {spilodactyla) 
  that 
  occurs 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  ground. 
  Nolcken 
  observes 
  that, 
  near 
  Colljall, 
  in 
  the 
  Baltic 
  

   Provinces, 
  the 
  moths 
  could 
  be 
  readily 
  disturbed 
  by 
  day 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  evening; 
  they 
  rarely 
  flew 
  freely, 
  kept 
  low 
  down, 
  never 
  going 
  far 
  

   from 
  their 
  foodplant, 
  or 
  flying 
  at 
  all 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  were 
  usually 
  to 
  be 
  

   taken 
  whilst 
  sitting 
  on 
  the 
  plant. 
  

  

  Habitats. 
  — 
  Open 
  sloping 
  chalk 
  slopes, 
  inland, 
  in 
  Kent 
  and 
  Surrey, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  chalk 
  cliffs 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  between 
  Folkestone 
  and 
  

   Deal 
  and 
  near 
  Brighton, 
  particularly 
  in 
  sheltered 
  hollows, 
  are 
  favourite 
  

   haunts 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  and 
  not 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  dry 
  sun-baked 
  slopes 
  

   at 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  Pre 
  St. 
  Didier 
  (leading 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  little 
  tunnel), 
  where 
  

   what 
  we 
  have 
  hitherto 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  this 
  species, 
  but 
  which 
  

   Chapman 
  now 
  says 
  (Ent. 
  Rec, 
  xviii., 
  p. 
  178) 
  is 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  M. 
  agrorum, 
  

   is 
  equally 
  abundant, 
  localised, 
  however, 
  to 
  the 
  clumps 
  of 
  its 
  

   foodplant. 
  Bankes 
  notes 
  that, 
  in 
  Dorset, 
  although 
  Ononis 
  arvensis 
  

   is 
  generally 
  distributed 
  and 
  plentiful, 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  

   local, 
  and 
  found 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  cliffs 
  and 
  undereliffs 
  of 
  the 
  

   chalk 
  and 
  limestone 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  coastline, 
  though 
  occur- 
  

   ring 
  in 
  one 
  inland 
  locality 
  on 
  the 
  chalk 
  ; 
  in 
  its 
  chosen 
  

   haunts, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  common 
  or 
  abundant. 
  South 
  says 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  never 
  met 
  with 
  off 
  the 
  chalk, 
  and 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  absent 
  

   in 
  many 
  places 
  where 
  Ononis 
  ^rows 
  luxuriantly 
  in 
  Devon 
  and 
  

   Middlesex; 
  but 
  Barrett 
  observes 
  that, 
  though 
  occurring 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  

   of 
  chalkhills, 
  and 
  chalky 
  banks 
  and 
  commons, 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  sandy 
  

   spots 
  on 
  the 
  coast. 
  Many 
  observers 
  note 
  its 
  occurrence 
  in 
  coast 
  

   districts, 
  e.g., 
  on 
  the 
  cliffs 
  near 
  Le 
  Gouffre 
  (Luff), 
  abundant 
  in 
  a 
  cove 
  

   by 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  the 
  Lizard 
  district 
  (Marshall), 
  on 
  the 
  cliffs 
  at 
  Sidmouth 
  

   (Studd), 
  although 
  our 
  list 
  of 
  " 
  British 
  localities" 
  shows 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  

   confined 
  to 
  such. 
  South 
  notes 
  it 
  as 
  abundant 
  on 
  a 
  Long 
  strip 
  oi 
  its 
  

   foodplant, 
  growing 
  on 
  an 
  overhanging 
  bank 
  by 
  a 
  roadside, 
  at 
  Ventnor. 
  

   In 
  France, 
  Dupont 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  occurs 
  on 
  dry 
  arid 
  lands 
  at 
  Lery, 
  in 
  

   the 
  Pont 
  de 
  TArche 
  district, 
  and 
  Bruand 
  thai 
  it 
  haunts 
  rocky 
  and 
  woody 
  

   slopes 
  in 
  the 
  Doubs 
  dept. 
  Speyer 
  says 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  

   Wildungen,it 
  occurs 
  amongst 
  the 
  bushy 
  plants 
  of 
  Ononis 
  repens 
  : 
  which 
  

  

  