Insects. 1511 



it of any value) he set at liberty on the following morning. About the same time a 

 specimen was taken by a young gentleman in the street, flying very low in the middle 

 of the day ; this I have seen, it is a very dark male, but is completely spoiled by being 

 confined in a small box. The female in my cabinet was taken about a mile 

 from Sudbury in 1842. — W. Gaze; Ballinydon, Sudbury, Suffolk, September 

 Uth, 1846. 



Occurrence of Sphinx Convohuli at Aylsham. — A specimen of the Sphinx Convol- 

 vuli was taken at SwarTham, in this county, last week and given to a friend of mine, in 

 whose possession I saw it. — H. T. Frere ; Aylsham, September 14th, 1846. 



Occurrence of Sphinx Convohuli in Yorkshire. — No less than ten specimens of this 

 insect have fallen into the hands of the Rev. Francis Orpen Morris, of Nafferton 

 Vicarage, near Driffield. This gentleman has sent me a very long and interesting 

 description of their capture: the insect appears to be particularly fond of the blossom 

 of Phlox grandiflora. — E. N. 



Occurrence of Sphinx Convohuli near Hessle-upon-Humber. — I must beg you to do 

 me the favour to insert into the pages of your highly interesting periodical an account 

 of the capture of the Sphinx Convolvuli, in numbers, which I believe to beunparelleled. 

 The first occasion on which I met with this insect was, I think, on the evening of Au- 

 gust the 24th, feeding upon some honeysuckle, which was then in full flower. I made 

 an instant attack upon them with my net, and succeeded in capturing two the same 

 evening. From that time to September 4th, I have generally taken one, and some- 

 times two, every day. I have captured in all, twelve specimens, the majority, I am 

 sorry to say are much injured, but I am possessed of four which are in excellent con- 

 dition. — G. Burton, Jun. ; Hessle-upon-Humber, Yorkshire, Sept. 9th, 1846. 



Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli near Leicester. — This species may henceforward be 

 written down as common, in the neighbourhood of Leicester, as from the end of July 

 to the beginning of October, there have been numbers observed flying about in the eve- 

 ning, and above twelve specimens have been captured ; none of these, however, in very 

 fine condition, from the difficulty of preventing them committing suicide by reckless 

 endeavours to escape. — John Plant ; Leicester, September 28th, 1846. 



Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli at Blackheath. — Having seen in the ' Zoologist' 

 some notices of capture of Convolvulus Hawk-moths in the neighbourhood of London, 

 I am induced to believe that the following record of their great abundance at Black- 

 heath during the present season, may not be uninteresting. In the last week in Au- 

 gust in the present year, several specimens of this beautiful moth were observed at 

 dusk, hovering upon the wing round some very fine plants of Marvel of Peru (then in 

 full bloom) ; and inserting their long trunks into the tubular flowers of these beautiful 

 plants. Whilst thus employed, the quick motion of their wings, and the rapidity with 

 which the insects shifted their positions from place to place over the bushy bed of flow- 

 ers, rendered it not only impossible to distinguish their colour or outline, but extremely 

 difficult to effect their capture. The whirr of the wings of this agile insect, is distinctly 

 audible, and the gracefulness of its motions, highly pleasing ; hanging for an instant 

 in the air before the flowers, then taking a long and elegant sweep to some distance, 

 and again returning to its flowery feast. Between the period above-mentioned, and 

 the 11th of September, no fewer than twenty-nine specimens were taken at the same 

 clump of plants. They were all quite fresh and of great beauty, but their great 

 strength, and active exertions to escape when in the net, added to the deficiency of 

 light, render it extremely difficult to secure them without partial injury. Their feed- 



