114 The Na^turalist. 



sandhills, perfectly dry. Herminm crihralis too, another marsh moth, 

 was common enough. In a few dnys. however, a satisfact' ry expla 

 nation had grown on us, for we found that however hot or dry the 

 day might have been, the sandhills at night were always excessively 

 wet, so that every evening we went out, we came in soaked thi'ongh. 

 This of course, whatever the natural cause of the moisture might be, 

 was sufficient to account for the damp loving plants and moths. 



Collecting in the daytime was dreary work, as there was not a 

 decent species to be found. There was indeed very little variety, and 

 the few s})ecies that did occur were of the commonest description, such 

 as Saiyrus Janim, Chortohius Fami>hi.liL'<^ Lyrcena Alexis, Zyjrsna 

 filipenduJa, Euchelia J acohfce and Cnrrtptogramma hiUneata. These 

 were all plentiful enough, but there was hardly anything else to be 

 picked up, even as occasional odd specimens. Micro-lepidoptera 

 were as scarce, one or two Crambites, several Tortrices and Tinei^a, 

 with Pterophorus pterodactylus, being about all. We never, however, 

 saw a Pterophorus so abundant anywhere as was this one here, for 

 it actually swarmed in the hollows, flying in hundreds, and we could 

 have netted any quantity. Some interesting coleoptera occurred, and 

 the pretty hymenopteron Pompilus plumhem was running about the 

 sand ; and the curious dipteron Tetanocera marginata was also taken. 



The evening work was much more satisfactory. We usually put 

 on the sugar shortly before dusk, and there being no tree trunks, we 

 had to be content with sugaring posts and palings ; fortunately there 

 were plenty of them, and they made excellent substitutes. By the 

 time this work was completed, the early flying moths were on the 

 wing, the first to put in appearance generally being N adaria sencx, 

 which flew with a slow gentle flight just over the tops of the reeds, 

 grasses, &c. No sooner had it got well on the wing than it was 

 followed by Herminia crib/alis, and a little later still by Nonngrra 

 elymi : these three species, though belonging to totally different 

 families, flew in a very similar manner, and all were frequently taken 

 on the same spot, within a few inches of each other. Whilst netting 

 these at early dusk, a glance at a sugared post close by would now 

 and then reveal a lovely f harocampa elpenor, poised with wings 

 vibrating so rapidly as to seem almost motionless over the post, the 

 sugar from which was being sipped by means of its long outstretched 

 proboscis. Soon afterwards we light up the lamps, and take our first 

 round at the posts. Noctu{e are on them in profusion— quantity 

 sufficient surely to satisfy anyone, — but the quality, - well, perhaj s 

 the less said about it, the better I For the number, probably never 



