The Diamond-back Moth. 
613 
entomologists. (3) Their appearance La such abundance in places 
like Hartlepool/where there is no food at all for the larvae. (4) The 
fact that their ravages were confined to the seacoast or to a re- 
stricted distance therefrom, (o) The fact that on June 24 the 
species appeared simultaneously in many places." 
Mr. J. Burdon Sanderson, of Waren, Belford, about two miles 
from the coast of Northumberland, wrote me as follows : "My own 
opinion is that the moth came from abroad .somehow or other, as the 
easterly winds were blowing steadily for some weeks, and the attack 
seemed to be along the coast and up the Tweed. Whether this is 
possible or not, I do not know. My brother-in-law at Chatton, 
seven miles inland from AYaren, saw an immense quantity of dead 
moths along the road extending for some half-mQe, e\-idently killed 
by a heavy shower which had just fallen. This happened just before 
the attack was noticed, and nothing was thought of what was to 
follow. Since writing the above, I have just heard that on the 
night of July 9 an immense cloud of diamond-back moths alighted 
on the Longstone, the farthest of the Fames, some 6ve miles out to 
sea ; this is on perfectly reliable authority, and seems to favour the 
theory that they come from abroad."' 
This appearance of diamond-back is confirmed by published in- 
formation from Mr. H. A. Paynter, Solicitor, Alnwick, who men- 
tioned that, being requested by Lord Walsingham to try to get him 
some moths, he, Mr. Paynter, proceeded on July 10 to the Longstone 
Lighthouse on the Fame Islands, where he found the rocks close to 
the lighthouse covered with them. The lighthouse keepers informed 
him that on the previous night such a great cloud of moths was 
driven over by the north-east wind that they were obliged to keep 
sweeping them off the lantem throughout the night in order to 
allow the light to be seen at sea. Mr. Paynter sent some of these 
moths to Lord Walsingham (who, it may be remarked in passing, is 
a highly skilled entomologist), who identified them as diamond- 
backs." 
The chief points of the above appeared in various papers. I 
quote from the Agricultural Gozette for August 24^, 1891. 
Mr. Fenwick Wilson, of Marden, Whitley, also not far from the 
Xorthumbrian coast, mentioned : " A common opinion exists in this 
neighbourhood that the moth crossed over from the continent. 
Some fishermen I have spoken to say that about the end of June 
moths were about the shores in enormous quantities, and were 
spoken of by them at that time. If it is possible for them to come 
from abroad that very much supports the theory." 
Further north still the observation of a vast appearance of moths 
on the sea coast was thus reported by Mr. Balsillie, of St. Andrews, 
Fife : " On the last days of June an extraordinary number of small 
greyish-brown moths were observed all along the eastern seaboard 
of the county of Fife infesting the turaip-fields. Their appearance 
was coincident with a long-continued drought, and though the plants 
had brairded, they were making exceedingly little progress. On 
Monday, July 20, or as nearly as may be three weeks after the 
