EDWARDSIA W-ALBUM. 



179 



10 a.m., flying and fluttering among the boughs of various trees, 

 hovering over the tops of the hedges, and settling on the Umbellifer 

 flowers that skirted the meadows. James notes that he found the 

 species fairly common, in July, 1899, at Chattenden, on the blossoms 

 of privet and bramble, during the middle of the day, but that, later, 

 they showed a marked predilection for resting on the small ash-trees, 

 and a fair number were shaken therefrom after sunset. Crotch notes 

 (Ent. Wk. Int., ii., p. 165) that, in Somerset, he found w-albiun careering 

 over oak and ash-trees, after the fashion of Bithys guercus. We have 

 often noted their fondness for the tops of tall ash-saplings ourselves 

 in Chattenden Woods, especially in the afternoon. Jones notes 

 it as occurring freely on May 30th, 1874, at privet blossom along 

 the Sepey Koad, near Aigle ; he also captured it at rest, on the 

 flowers of Umbellifers, in the Vallee des Ormonts, in August, 1885. 

 Walker records it as being common in July, 1901, on privet blossom, 

 in the Forest of St. Germain, and on wild thyme in Pare Maison 

 Lafitte, and Kane says that it specially haunts the flowers of Marru- 

 bium, vulgare, whilst Lowe observed the imagines flying in a high wind 

 over stunted bushes of elm, probably Ulmus suberosa, on June 28th, 

 1905, at Leuk, but, at Eclepens, on June 28th, 1906, it was found with 

 Nordmaimia acaciae on the flowers of Sambucus ebulus, or sunningitself on 

 the leaves of common hazel. Norris also observes [Ent., xxv., p. 240) 

 that the insect was not uncommon on and around wych-elms in 

 Piedmont — in the Val Pari, Val Sestrera, and Val Cavallo — and they 

 also showed a great partiality for the flowers of the dwarf upright 

 elder ; the insect was observed to be much more attracted by flowers 

 when the wind blew at all strongly than on a calm still day. Bird 

 notes them at flowers of Eupatoriuui cannabinum, at Tintern, and 

 W T hittle that they were attracted to bramble blossom, towards the end 

 of July, in the late season of 1904, at North Fambridge. Hearder 

 observed the imagines busy, in June, 1865, feeding on the flowers of 

 grass at Powick, near Worcester; Davis noticed the imagines freely in 

 July, 1893, at flowers of Fatbits fruticosus, near Sapperton ; whilst 

 Perkins says that, as late as August 10th, 1883, he found this 

 species abundant on flowers of ragwort, at Wotton-under-Edge, and 

 in 1897, found it common on the flowers of ragwort and bramble, at 

 the same place ; whilst Goulton also observed it at ragwort blossom on 

 August 9th, 1903, on Box Hill ; and Alderson on flowers of ragwort 

 on Ranmore Common ; Watkins has taken specimens at flowers 

 of Bryonia dioica and Betonia officinalis, near Painswick; whilst 

 Curtis notes that Walker captured it at Southgate, on flowers 

 of Spiraea frutex. Busack records having taken specimens in 1904, 

 at Schwerin, on flowers of Eupatorium cannabinum and Valeriana 

 officinalis, the species being attracted to the blossoms of both. 

 Keynes states that he found examples at the blossom of privet, in 

 June, 1906, near Lahr, in company with imagines of S. pruni. Rossler 

 and Voelschow both remark on the retired habits of the imago, and the 

 latter remarks that he bred two pairs of imagines, which, in confine- 

 ment, never flew until disturbed, and that, when this happened, they 

 dropped to the ground with a sudden jerk, becoming at once still 

 again. He collected in the neighbourhood of Schwerin five years 

 before he saw imagines, and then found them on the flowers of the 

 garden valerian, Valeriana officinalis, one hot afternoon, between 



