327 
NATURALISTS FIELD DAY AT ASKHAM BOG, 
W. FALCONER, F.E.S. 
By the courteous permission of Colonel J. Eason Wilkinson and H. 
Lycett Green, Esq., the Entomological Section and the Plant Gall Com- 
mittee of the Y. N. Union visited Askham Bog on June 24th last. The 
party was met at York station by Mr. Sidney H. Smith, who very kindly 
conveyed the members in detachments in his motor car to the starting 
point at Chandler’s 'Whin. Despite the heavy showers, and the un- 
pleasantly moist condition of the vegetation, and the painful bites of 
multitudes of ‘ gimlet -nosed ’ flies, the work of investigation was 
carried out with unabating vigour to a successful conclusion. Lepi- 
dopterists were the most numerous, and in addition, the Rev. C. D. Ash 
and Mr. S. Walker had spent the evening before, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., 
in the bog, mostly, but not profitably, ‘ sugaring,’ so that both the 
diurnal and nocturnal species received attention. (Incidentally, it is 
worthy of record that the latter recently took a Colias edusa at Strensall.) 
The outstanding captures of the day were Bactra fur fur ana Haw. and 
Plusia festucae Linn. (B. Morley), and Laverna phragmitella Stt. (G. T. 
Porritt). Mr. M. L. Thompson, the one coleopterist present, met with 
an unusual proportion of critical species, which included Myllaena dubia 
Grav., new to Yorkshire, and Bembidium doris Panz., second occurrence 
in the same area. Examples of Saperda populnea Linn, were taken, and 
both Mr. W. P. Winter and the writer found its gall. The latter also 
secured the gall of Mecinus pyr aster Herbst., although the beetle itself 
was not captured by anyone who attended the meeting. Mr. J. M. 
Brown, working at the Hemiptera, obtained four species of Homoptera 
new to Yorkshire, viz., Deltocephalus striatus Linn., Cicadula warioni 
Leth., Dikraneura similis Edw., and Typhlocyba rosae Linn. 
In one part of the bog several willows were bespattered from top to 
bottom in most prodigal profusion with huge agglomerations of ‘ cuckoo 
spit.’ Such remarkable displays of it can only, one would imagine, be 
very rarely seen . 
So far, mainly with respect to the more prominent winged inhabitants 
of the bog ; but the presence of the lesser known and studied forms of 
life was made known to the gall student by the abnormal growths and 
plant deformations, which they produce in their larval or other stages. 
In the reports which follow, the species new to the county are marked 
with an asterisk. 
Lepidoptera (B. Morley). — The intermittent showers made system- 
atic work with the lepidoptera impossible. From the first the herbage 
was drenched, consequently the insects were sluggish. The butterflies 
seen were Pieris napi, Epinephele ianira, Coenonympha pamphilus, 
Lycaena icarus and Hesperia sylvanus. The moths noted were as follows : 
Cataclysta lemnata and Hydrocampa nymphaeata, both common around 
the ponds in Chandler’s Whin, where also the larvae of Nonagria arundinis 
were very plentiful in the bulrush stems. During a period of comparative 
brightness Glyphipteryx thrasonella and Coleophora caespititiella flew 
commonly with a few each of Tortrix viburniana, T . costana and Bactra 
fur fur ana among the sedge. Poedisca bilunana abounded on birch 
trunks, and a few Collix sparsata were disturbed from alder. A specimen 
of Plusia festucae (one of the bog specialities), was found. Argyresthia 
pygmaeella was beaten from sallow and Penthina salicella from willow. 
Many other commoner species were noted, and of these the great 
abundance of Melanippe sociata is worthy of note. 
(G. T. Porritt). — An interesting lepidopteron turned up in Laverna 
phragmitella, the larvae of which were evidently feeding in great abund- 
1922 Oct. 1 
