THE COLE COLLECTION OF BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 175
Lineola seems pretty well confined to the Essex coast and both
sides of the Thames as far as Mucking on the Essex side, whereas
Linea is found throughout the South of England; but I am
afraid it must be numbered among the disappearing species of
Epping Forest.
Passing to the moths in the collection I was struck with
the very fine and strongly marked series of Chaerocampa porcellus
from St. Osyth, taken in 1912. These appear to me to be
unusually bright.
Then we have Macroglossa bombyliformis and M. fuciformis,
both taken at Highbeach in 1870 and 1871. These are interesting
captures, and as far as I know they have not been taken in the
Forest for some years past.
In a nice series of Arctia villica there are three conspicuous
examples from St. Osyth taken in 1895; they have some of
the cream spots confluent at the base of the fore wings. I have
seen somewhat similar specimens from the neighbourhood of
Dovercourt, and it would seem that this form of variation is
more frequent along the Essex coast than elsewhere. There are
also some light and dark forms of Caja, but I should say that
these have no bearing on local variation.
There is an interesting specimen of Spilosoma lubricipeda
approaching var. fasciata, taken at Clapton in 1868, and a
specimen of Menthastri taken at Wanstead in 1877 with smoky
tips to the wings, and a somewhat similar form from Stoke
Newington taken in June 1874.
There is also a nice series of Psilura monacha from Black
Bushes, Epping Forest, taken in 1874. It would be too hazar-
dous to say that this species has gone from the Forest, although
I have never seen it there.
Trichiura cratoegi is another insect, represented in the col-
lection by specimens from Epping Forest, which has apparently
left the district.
There is a particularly fine dark Bombyx quercus ♀ from East
Mersea, and another from Witham, but these varieties can hardly
be considered as local variations, as usually the darker specimens
come from the North.
Then there is a nice light variety of a male Odonestis potatoria
from East Mersea. These occasional light forms of ♂ potatoria
I have usually found in more or less marshy districts and I have
looked upon them as an example of protective colouration, as
the light forms would be much better protected while resting on
the reed stems than would the typical dark form. There are some
very fine forms of Saturnia carpini from St. Osyth, the specimens
being considerably larger than those of the same species from the
North. This large Essex race is well known to entomologists.
I recently saw some fine examples, bred some years ago from
the Lea Valley.