6 



CORDEAUX : THE SPURN. 



in crossing;'^ and quite recently we received three Death's-head 

 Moths taken on vessels far from land in the North Sea. Occur- 

 rences also in recent years of Locusts at Spurn and the continental 

 form of Vanessa Aniiopa in Lincolnshire, and the great flight of Colias 

 edusa in 1877 from the eastward, all point to the same conclusion — 

 the migration on a large scale of insects to our shores from the 

 Continent. Judging from Heligoland captures, a list of the 

 night-flying moths which settle on the panes of the lanterns of 

 east coast lighthouses, would give very interesting results. 



In 1877 Mr. Lawton found a larva of Deilephila galii, the Bed- 

 straw Hawk moth, which feeds on the plant known as the Ladies' 

 Bed-straw on sand hills near the coast. Other moths more or less 

 common are Chcerocampa porcellus, the Small Elephant Hawk-moth ; 

 EiLchelia jacobcece; Leucania littoralis (the only locality for Yorkshire); 

 Tapinostola elymi^ the Lyme-grass, which is common ; Nonagria hitosa^ 

 the Large Wainscot ; Mamestra abjecta, a very local species, of which 

 in 1880 Mr. Dobree took eleven examples and missed several others; 

 Agrotis valligera ; A. corticea; A. ripa^ but differing considerably 

 from the southern form; A. cursoria, much darker than southern 

 specimens; A. tritici; A. aqiiilina; A. prcecox ; and A. ravida. 



Many of the fishes of the estuary may be considered deep-sea 

 forms, which approach the shore for spawning. The Common Skate is 

 plentiful in winter. The Lesser Weever or ' Sting-fish ' is very common ; 

 so also is Coitus scorpius^ occurring in prodigious numbers, the stomachs 

 of this fish being generally full of freshly swallowed crabs about an 

 inch across the carapace; most abundant also in summer is the 

 Pogge, or Armed Bullhead, locally known as ' Rough-nose,' but it 

 disappears in the winter, probably retiring to deep v/ater. The 

 Viviparous Blenny is commonly taken in the seine nets, as also is 

 the Lesser Grey-mullet {Mugil septentrio?ialis Giinth.), a common fish in 

 the spring and summer. The Cod, Coal-fish, Turbot and Plaice, Sole 

 and Founder all occur, mainly young fish ; the Turbot run about nine 

 inches in length, or about as large as a dinner plate. Salmon are not 

 uncommon during the period of migration, as also is the Salmon-trout 

 {Salmo trutta). A salmon fishing station was worked some years ago 

 at Stallinborough, on the Lincolnshire side of the Humber. The 

 (jreat Pipe-fish {Sy?ig7tafhus aciis) is common, and a single specimen 

 of the Straight-nosed Pipe-fish {Nerophis ophidioii) was brought 

 up in a crab-pot in May 1884. The King-fish {Lampris luna) 

 was cast up at Spurn some years ago ; and in April 1882, the 



* According to Mr. P. W. Lawton, of Easington, this species {Sphinx 

 CoiwolvjiU) is sometimes very plentiful. 



Naturalist, 



