NOTES ON INSECTS 265
to sugar or flowers (being a non-feeder) and only occurs in swampy places,
it can only be found occasionally sitting about or be attracted to light,
and the coastal parts of Essex, where it chiefly occurs, have been little
worked recently.
At the beginning of the century the late Rev. C. R. N. Burrows took
it at Mucking and Rainham, and F. G. Whittle at Shoebury and at
Wakering (where it still occurs). The Shoebury locality was, I believe,
on ground now occupied by the War Office. On July 11th, 1948, my son
caught a somewhat worn male near Rochford, which came to a petrol-
vapour lamp. I have not visited that place again at the right time of the
year as I have been in Ireland at that time in succeeding years.
The usual time of emergence is at the end of June and in early July,
at which date it was fairly common last year on Romney marsh. The
female taken on August 2nd, 1952, was a very late one, and probably no
males were still about—hence the infertility of the eggs laid.
I think the moth would be found to be widely distributed in coastal
swamps and marshes in Essex, and possibly in inland places such as the
borders of lakes and reservoirs if a mercury-vapour lamp nere to be used to
attract it.
H. C. Huggins, F.R.E.S.
Mr. Dennis Smith, F.R.E.S., who has been laying out a garden adjacent
to the well-known Essex locality for the Heath Fritillary butterfly (Melitaea
athalia Rott.) states that 1953 was a good year for this butterfly and it bred
quite commonly on Cow Wheat in his garden. He also reports that larvae
of this species were found to be feeding on Nepeta nervosa, Veronica spicata
and Linaria spicata and were also found, but not proved to be feeding, on
several other species of plants (Entomologist 87, p.86).
Miss Cynthia Lockwood fears (Entomologist 87, p.87) that the floods of
1953 have exterminated the dragonfly Coenagrion scitulum in the Essex
locality where it was discovered in 1946. None was seen in the summer
of 1953.