1890.] THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 83 



localities, Dr. Jordan in 1867, writes :- " Twenty years ago P. isodactylus 

 was common in a small alder marsh near Teignmouth, this was fed by 

 a little stream running from Haldon, a heathy moor about a mile dis- 

 tant from it. It was about an acre in extent, and underneath the 

 alder, grew sorrel and the golden saxifrage, whilst near them were 

 what might be almost called small thickets formed by tall plants of 

 Eupatovium cannabinum, Epilobitim hirsntum, and Equisetum talmatera, 

 with the marsh thistle towering up amongst them. It was in these 

 fastnesses that the plumes took shelter. There were also Seneeio 

 aquaticus, Caltha palustris, Cardamine pratense, Lychnis Jlos-cticuli, 

 and Sparganium ramosum, scattered through the bog, besides rushes 

 and sedges, and a few occasional stragglers from the heath above, 

 such as Anagallis teuella, Wahlenbevgia and Pedicularis, amongst the 

 grass and Sphagnum which formed rather a treacherous footing. The 

 other marsh insects of the locality besides the plume were Nudaria 

 senex, Leucania impum, and conigera, Eudorea pallida and Orthotoenia 

 venosa. The swamp is now entirely drained, ploughed and the land 

 planted with cabbages, nor is there any spot resembling it in the whole 

 course of the stream. But there was no plant lost in the neighbourhood 

 by the drainage ; the Eupatovium is especially abundant in other locali- 

 ties, but micro dactylus is its only plumed inhabitant. The figure in 

 Wood's 'Index' was published before ever we knew of this locality, and 

 I know nothing of the Orkney habitat recorded in the ' Manual.' It may 

 be suspected, however, that isodactylus might be found in many other 

 spots in South Devon if thoroughly searched for" ("Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine" Vol. IV.. p. 38. In the " Entomologist's Monthly 

 Magazine," Vol. IV., p. 39, Mr. Birchall writes of the only known 

 Irish locality : — " At the request of Dr. Jordan, I add to his communi- 

 cation a notice of the Irish locality for Pterophorus isodactylus. It occurs 

 abundantly in July and August on the bog which lies between the Town 

 Lodge and the precipitous base of Cromaghlan Mountain near Killarney 

 The moth appears to be confined to the dry and somewhat elevated 

 margin of the bog, and my attention was first attracted to the insect 

 by disturbing it in gathering a handfu] from a magnificent clump of 

 the white variety of Calluna vulgaris. I have not been on the greund 

 since, and can throw no light on the food plant of the larva. I doubt 

 however, its being attached to any bog-plant, as I did not see a speci- 

 men except at the elevated bank amongst the ling. The date of the 

 last capture was August 10th." Mr. Barrett's Pembrokeshire cap- 



