﻿BUCKLERIA 
  PALUDUM. 
  513 
  

  

  cranberry, 
  and 
  short 
  grasses 
  and 
  sedges 
  — 
  on 
  the 
  boggy 
  portions 
  of 
  

   heaths 
  or 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  fens, 
  but 
  flies 
  up, 
  if 
  disturbed 
  by 
  a 
  passing 
  foot- 
  

   step, 
  to 
  hide 
  again 
  at 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  distance 
  ; 
  it 
  flies 
  naturally 
  at 
  sunset 
  and 
  

   after." 
  Bankes 
  observes 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  that 
  "the 
  imagines, 
  which 
  only 
  fly 
  

   on 
  very 
  calm 
  and 
  warm 
  evenings, 
  flit 
  about, 
  amongst 
  the 
  herbage 
  of 
  

   the 
  bogs 
  on 
  the 
  heath-districts, 
  like 
  gnats, 
  though 
  with 
  a 
  peculiarly 
  

   jerky 
  flight. 
  They 
  come 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  sunset, 
  and 
  

   continue 
  to 
  fly 
  until 
  about 
  dusk, 
  if 
  the 
  temperature 
  remains 
  high, 
  but, 
  

   when 
  it 
  falls 
  rapidly 
  at 
  sunset, 
  as 
  not 
  infrequently 
  happens, 
  their 
  flight 
  

   ceases 
  almost 
  immediately. 
  Of 
  the 
  first 
  brood, 
  the 
  only 
  example 
  taken 
  

   by 
  myself 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  was 
  netted 
  at 
  8.40 
  p.m., 
  on 
  July 
  8th, 
  though 
  I 
  

   secured 
  a 
  few 
  others 
  by 
  sweeping, 
  viz., 
  a 
  2 
  at 
  4.30 
  p.m., 
  a 
  $ 
  at 
  7 
  p.m., 
  

   and 
  a 
  $■ 
  at 
  7.30 
  p.m., 
  on 
  June 
  24th, 
  and 
  a 
  ? 
  at 
  7.10 
  p.m., 
  on 
  June 
  

   28th. 
  Much 
  experience 
  with 
  the 
  second 
  brood, 
  of 
  which 
  1 
  have 
  

   netted 
  many 
  individuals, 
  August 
  5th-31st, 
  shows 
  that 
  all 
  have 
  

   been 
  captured 
  between 
  6 
  p.m. 
  and 
  7.30 
  p.m., 
  the 
  most 
  productive 
  

   time 
  being 
  from 
  6.15 
  p.m. 
  to 
  7.15 
  p.m., 
  and 
  that 
  their 
  appearance 
  

   is 
  not 
  affected 
  by 
  whether 
  their 
  haunts, 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  sunshine 
  

   or 
  in 
  shadow 
  at 
  the 
  time. 
  Several 
  of 
  both 
  sexes 
  of 
  this 
  brood 
  

   have 
  been 
  taken 
  by 
  sweeping 
  the 
  herbage 
  between 
  7 
  p.m. 
  and 
  

   7.30 
  p.m., 
  after 
  the 
  flight 
  was 
  over. 
  Of 
  the 
  specimens 
  captured 
  

   on 
  the 
  wing, 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  proportion 
  (probably 
  well 
  over 
  90%) 
  are 
  

   males." 
  Cambridge 
  observes 
  that, 
  "on 
  August 
  23rd, 
  1886, 
  walking 
  

   across 
  a 
  bog, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  afternoon, 
  two 
  specimens 
  were 
  disturbed, 
  

   and 
  a 
  careful 
  search 
  revealed 
  several 
  before 
  darkness 
  came 
  on 
  ; 
  working 
  

   for 
  the 
  species 
  every 
  suitable 
  evening, 
  the 
  insect 
  was 
  found 
  scarcely 
  

   ever 
  to 
  move 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  accord 
  until 
  about 
  half-an-hour 
  or 
  less 
  before 
  

   sunset, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time 
  after 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  accord, 
  it 
  

   was 
  seldom 
  seen 
  flying, 
  generally 
  not 
  flying 
  until 
  disturbed, 
  when 
  it 
  

   would 
  flutter 
  up, 
  gnat-like, 
  among 
  the 
  bog-grass 
  and 
  rushes, 
  and 
  jerkily 
  

   fly 
  off, 
  for, 
  at 
  most, 
  a 
  few 
  yards, 
  settling 
  again 
  on 
  a 
  blade 
  of 
  grass, 
  

   with 
  its 
  two 
  long-spurred 
  hind-legs 
  stuck 
  out, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  in 
  a 
  

   very 
  characteristic 
  way. 
  On 
  some 
  evenings 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  fly 
  at 
  all 
  ; 
  

   the 
  most 
  favourable 
  kind 
  of 
  evening 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  quiet, 
  dewy, 
  damp 
  

   one, 
  after 
  a 
  bright 
  hot 
  day." 
  In 
  1887, 
  however, 
  his 
  experience 
  was 
  

   entirely 
  different, 
  for 
  whereas, 
  in 
  1886, 
  it 
  appeared 
  to 
  fly 
  for 
  only 
  a 
  

   very 
  short 
  time 
  just 
  before, 
  and 
  just 
  after, 
  sunset, 
  yet, 
  of 
  1887, 
  he 
  

   says 
  (Ent., 
  xx., 
  p. 
  326), 
  " 
  although 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  finest 
  and 
  quietest 
  

   evenings 
  in 
  August 
  scarcely 
  an 
  individual 
  was 
  seen, 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  hesitate 
  

   occasionally 
  to 
  fly 
  briskly 
  in 
  the 
  full 
  blaze 
  of 
  a 
  hot 
  sun 
  ; 
  a 
  moderately 
  dewy 
  

   evening 
  appears 
  to 
  draw 
  this 
  little 
  moth 
  out 
  most 
  freely, 
  and 
  the 
  

   evenings 
  of 
  last 
  August 
  were 
  remarkable 
  for 
  an 
  almost 
  total 
  absence 
  

   of 
  dew." 
  As 
  pointing 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  habit, 
  Bankes 
  writes 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  : 
  

   " 
  The 
  six 
  specimens 
  taken 
  in 
  early 
  July, 
  1906, 
  were, 
  with 
  one 
  excep- 
  

   tion, 
  all 
  netted 
  whilst 
  on 
  the 
  wing, 
  in 
  bright 
  sunshine, 
  over 
  heath-bogs, 
  

   6.50 
  p.m. 
  -7. 
  55 
  p.m. 
  The 
  remaining 
  one 
  was 
  swept 
  up 
  off 
  the 
  herbage, 
  

   growing 
  in 
  a 
  bog 
  on 
  the 
  heath, 
  at 
  7.50 
  p.m." 
  Holland 
  writes 
  (Ent, 
  

   Mo. 
  Mag., 
  xxvi., 
  p. 
  87) 
  that, 
  in 
  a 
  boggy 
  hollow, 
  near 
  Lyndhurst, 
  he 
  

   " 
  netted 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  little 
  plume, 
  at 
  dusk, 
  on 
  August 
  13th, 
  

   1889 
  : 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  windy 
  evening, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  moth 
  that 
  

   could 
  be 
  found 
  moving." 
  In 
  Pomerania, 
  near 
  Stettin, 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  

   said 
  to 
  fly 
  among 
  Ledum 
  palustre 
  (Biittner) 
  ; 
  near 
  Wiesbaden 
  it 
  ilies 
  

   freely 
  at 
  sunset 
  (Bossier). 
  

  

  