826 
CANNOCK CHASE LEPIDOPTERA. 
A WEEK’S WORK AMONG THE CANNOCK CHASE 
LEPIDOPTERA. 
BY THOMAS GIBBS, JUNR. 
The following notes on a week’s stay at Colwich, working 
the Lepidoptera of Cannock Chase, may be interesting to 
your entomological readers. 
My brother and myself arrived at Colwich on Monday 
afternoon, the 29th June, and left the following Saturday, so 
that we really had only five days’ collecting; in that time, 
however, we were favoured with fine weather, and by hard 
work managed to come across several species that were 
new to us, and also to fill up some of the blanks in our 
collection. 
The Butterflies were very poorly represented, the only 
species occurring in any abundance being Ccenonympha pam- 
philus , which swarmed all over the Chase. 
Among the Bombyces we were more fortunate, taking 
amongst others Hepialus velleda, abundant among the bracken 
fern ; Lithosia mesomelia , a few specimens in marshy spots by 
streams on the Chase ; Nemeophila russula and plantayinis, a 
few specimens of these two species flying over the moor in 
the sunshine; Plati/pten/x falcataria and lacertmaria, one 
specimen of each flying among birches by the ponds in 
Oakedge Park. We also found three larvie of Bombijoo 
quercus among the heather, and a batch of ova of B. rubi on 
the W'olseley park fence. 
Among the Noctiue we were very unsuccessful, owing 
probably to the cold nights. We sugared on two occasions, 
the only visitors being A crony eta rumicis, Busina tenebrosa, 
A gratis striyula (porphyreaj, Triphcena, pronuba , Noctua plecta , 
Kuplexia lucipara , tiadena thalassina , and H. oleracea. II. 
tenebrosa and A. striyula were the only species that came at all 
freely. One day we saw Anarta myrtilli flying over the moor 
in some abundance ; we managed to secure a few, but as all 
entomologists are aware they are much more easily seen than 
caught. 
The Geometrse were more plentiful than any of the other 
groups, our captures numbering twenty-three species, of which 
the following were the best:— Asthena luteata, of this pretty 
little wave we took five specimens, among alders between the 
Oakedge ponds; in the same spot we found Eupisteria oblite- 
rata ( lieparata ), Melanippe sociata ( subtristata ), Coremia desiy- 
nata ( propuynata ), and Larentia viridaria ( pectinitana ), all 
rather common. Ematurga atomaria swarmed all over the 
