126 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[June 



prevailed during the whole time. I made several excursions to 

 localities around London, in company with other members of the 

 North London Natural History Society, and a few notes may be of 

 interest. 



On Good Friday, 31st March, we took train to Loughton, and 

 soon reached Epping Forest. Working up the " green ride " through 

 Monk's Wood, a few hybernated butterflies were seen, including 

 Vanessa io, V. polychlovos, and V. urticce, while tree trunks produced one 

 or two Xylocampa lithoviza. Reaching the birches north of Jack's Hill, 

 some of our party were soon busy with Bvephos parthenias, but, as this 

 species had been out in the forest since nth March, their condition 

 was not very good ; Cymatophova fiavicornis, usually occurring on the 

 same ground, appeared to be quite over. The only other insect of 

 note was a female of Toeniocampa populcti, found in a pool beneath a 

 sallow bush, she has since laid a nice batch of eggs. 



Saturday, 1st April, we went to Ongar Park Wood. This is close 

 to North Weald Station, being three miles from Ongar. The banks 

 on the roadside were quite gay with the fiowers of the dog violet, and 

 we noticed a fair sized clump of the white variety of the scented violet 

 (Viola odovata var. alba). Hybernated specimens of Goneptevyx rhamni 

 and some of the Vanessidas, and several newly emerged Pieris raped 

 represented the butterflies. Arrived at the wood, we kept a look out 

 for Bvephos notha, but the few specimens of Bvephos taken were all 

 parthenias. In the afternoon we came back to Theydon, and worked 

 the sallows there, taking the usual Tseniocampidse, including T. 

 munda and T. gracilis, and a few Laventia nmltistrigaria, Selenia 

 illunaria, &c. 



Monday, 3rd April, went to Weybridge, and worked the pines at 

 St. George's Hills. Outside the station, a house-martin made one 

 think that summer was really coming. Our exertions among the pines 

 for Trachea pinipevda met with but little success, two specimens only 

 being taken, but a fair number of larvae, chiefly Them variata and 

 * Ellopia fasciaria were beaten from the boughs. Vanessa polychlovos, 

 Goneptevyx vhamm, and Bvephos pavthenias again turned up, while a 

 single female of Pachycnemia hippo castanavia fell to my share. 



Tuesday, 4th April. West Wickham Wood. Here we met with 

 the usual lot of collectors in this locality, being turned off by the 

 keeper just as we had found the best ground. However, our captures 

 included some fine Tephvosia cvepusculavia (chiefly on pine trunks) two 

 Lobophova lobnlata and one Tvachea pinipevda. The famous " Bishops 

 fence" only produced one Xylocampa lithoviza, and fences were generally 

 a failure, owing chiefly to the direction of the wind. — A. U. Battley, 

 28, Amhurst Park, N. 



