NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
127
making the most of it, when the butterfly walked along the branch towards them
and deliberately charged at the enemy. The wasps flew up and returned the
attack, the butterfly beating a rapid retreat, walking backwards a few paces. As
soon as the wasps settled back the Tortoise-shell charged again, and was again
repulsed exactly as before. This was repeated over and over again. It struck me
that the cool valour on the part of the butterfly against such formidable foes was
remarkable.—Charles E. Benham, Colchester.
Geometra papilionaria in Epping Forest.—We were very pleased to
find the curious and handsome "Large Emerald Moth" in the Forest—a re-
appearance, for it was one of the "plums" of the Forest collectors about twenty
years ago. The first specimen was taken by H. A. Cole in Dr. Snell's garden,
bordering on Lodge Bushes, on June 20th, and we subsequently took six other
specimens at a light among the birches in the Bushes. Now that the birch is
becoming one of the characteristic trees of the Forest in many parts, we may
hope to see Geometra papilionaria and other birch-feeders more commonly.—W.
COLE, Buckhurst Hill, August, 1893.
Abraxas ulmata and Brephos parthenias in Epping Forest.—I took
A. ulmata in Epping Forest, at rest on a blackthorn bush, on the 12th June.
This is, I understand, the second specimen recorded for Essex ; Mr. B. G. Cole
took the first in Bury Wood, Epping Forest, in July, 1881 ("Proc. E F.C.", vol. ii.,
p. lviii., and vol. iv., p. lxxxii). I may also mention that I took Brephos
parthenias at Theydon Bois on March 27th, and Euthemonia russula and Tanagra
chserophyllata at the same place on June 6th.—Charles Oldham, Woodford,
July 1st, 1893.
Plusia moneta, Fab., at Woodford; a Noctua new to Essex.—
As noticed in the report of the meeting at Wanstead (ante, p. 107) on July 1st,
Mr. Charles Oldham exhibited a specimen of Pluses moneta, Fab., a moth not
only new to our county, but only recently recognised as an inhabitant of (or
immigrant to) the British Isles. The specimen was taken on June 2nd of the
present year, as it was flying over honeysuckle in Mr. Oldham's garden at
Chelmsford Road, South Woodford. Moneta is very distinct from any other
British species of Plusia, and is widely distributed in Europe ; it is double-
brooded, and its natural food is said to be Monkshood (Aconitum), but Duponchel
says that the larva will feed on sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke, burdock and
cucumber. The larva may be easily noticed in May, as it spins the young shoots
of the plants together, and later the yellow cocoon is very conspicuous on the
underside of the leaf of the food-plant. It was first captured in England, at
Dover, in 1890, but has since been taken (and bred) in several other places, and
seems likely to become established. Herr Hoffmann has given some very inter-
esting remarks on the geographical distribution of the moth in "The Entomolo-
gists' Monthly Magazine" for 1890. It was known as a common insect in S. and
S.E. Germany, but until the year 1875 was not recorded from the N.W. nor from the
Netherlands. In that year it invaded the above-named districts and many other
places, and in 1887 was recorded from Breda, in Holland. Herr Hoffmann adds,
"The tendency of the species to gain new ground was so intense that even the
rough climate of our Hartz Mountains was not able to keep it back, for I found
moneta in the moorland districts of the Brocken, at a height of about 800 metres.
. . . Now, the species having crossed the Channel, it will probably spread