34 The Macro-Lepidoptera of the
any considerable distance: it must have been bred on the
spot.
The next class of butterflies includes those that may be
termed "local and rare," including Vanessa polychloros, Thecla
w-album, T. betulae, and Nemeobius lucina. The first two are
of general occurrence round Maldon, the two latter very
restricted in their habitat. Beyond these species, nothing
occurs that is worthy of very special remark. The "Fritil-
laries" are fairly represented, but the larger species are not
common. Vanessa cardui is sometimes abundant in the
spring, but I have never noticed very many in the autumn.
Of the genus Thecla every species, except T. pruni, is to be
found. Thecla rubi, being a broom-feeder, occurs commonly,
and T. quercus abounds in oak woods. Of the "Blues,"
Lyeaena argiolus is the most interesting : its food-plant is
abundant, but the butterfly itself never seems to occur in any
numbers. Hesperia comma is absent from the list, but may
possibly occur at Danbury.
The next great division of Lepidoptera, the Nocturni, is
represented with us by exactly fifty species. All the more
ordinary "hawk-moths" occur, including Acherontia atropos
(which one would expect to be commoner round Maldon, as
it is abundant near Southend) and Sphinx convolvuli, which
occurred singly in 1875, when the species occurred in such
numbers in this country. Of the clear-wings I have not
come across any really rare species, but Sesia ichneumoniformis
cannot be considered a common insect. Limacodes testudo,
Nola strigula, and Lithosia quadra next attract our attention :
they have not occurred in any numbers, and evidently only
just succeed in maintaining themselves. Orgyia fascelina, an
insect much commoner in the North of England, used to be
abundant on the hedges lining a certain part of the road
from Maldon to Danbury. I find a record in my diary of
having taken as many as sixty larvae in 1872; and I continued
to find the species there till 1875. The nature of the locality
has not changed in any way, and I am quite at a loss to
account for the disappearance of this species. Of the
remaining Nocturni, Trichiura crutargi and Gastropacha querci-