told that visitors are all too apt to dig up the plants for their gardens. (pers.
comms. R. W. J. Uffen and A. R. Pittaway). Some of the past records for the
fritillaries, vaguely ascribed to Epping, seem to belong more accurately to the
areas of woodland to the east of the Forest. Boloria silene (small pearl-bordered)
and B. euphrosyne (pearl-bordered) were both plentiful in 1835, but the former
disappeared early in the present century; there are no recent records of the
latter. Argynnis adippe (high-brown fritillary) was a rarity to Doubleday and
only one or two stragglers have been seen since, as in 1917 and 1921 (Mera,
1929). A. aglaja (dark green fritillary) was absent from Doubleday's list, but a
vagrant was reported at Loughton in 1943 and another (almost certainly)
elsewhere in the Forest in 1974. Doubleday (1836) recorded A. paphia (silver-
washed fritillary) without saying whether it was common or scarce; it was
certainly rare when the V.C.H. was published. The most recent record known to
me is of a male seen feeding at Buddleia flowers at Loughton on the 5th of
August, 1945. English (1886) took both Euphydryas aurinia (marsh fritillary)
and Mellicta athalia (heath fritillary) at High Beach in 1839 but never saw them
again; the V.C.H. states that the former occurred near Epping until 1874. Both
were unknown to Doubleday.
Satyridae (46). Pararge aegeria (speckled wood) has had a history rather
similar to that of the comma. According to Mera (1929), it disappeared soon
after 1868, but Firmin et al, (1975) say it was common till 1890. Either way, it
was gone by the turn of the century and did not reappear till 1953. It is now re-
established but still scarce. Lasiommata megera (wall brown). Melanargia
galathea (marbled white) was reported by Doubleday to be abundant in the
Forest but rare elsewhere in the district. It was destined to vanish from the
Forest too. Pyronia tithonus (gate-keeper) is rare except in the north. Maniola
jurtina (meadow brown). Coenonympha pamphilus (small heath), now plen-
tiful, was absent from Doubleday's list. Aphantopus hyperantus (ringlet)
appears in my records only in the lists of Doubleday (1836) and Mendola (1891),
apart from a single specimen sighted recently (A. R. Pittaway, pers. comm.).
Larger Moths
I cannot say whether the paucity of modern records for the Lasiocampidae
(48) is due to the decline of some of the species or underrecording. It is sur-
prising that Saturnia pavonia (emperor) (49) has not been recorded lately
because it is not uncommon elsewhere in the county. The only two species of
Thyatiridae (52) unnoticed since 1950, Achlya flavicornis (yellow-horned) and
Polyploc ridens (frosted green), emerge in the early months of the year.
In the Geometridae (53), the absence of up-to-date records for nearly 100
species may be attributed in part to two causes. With some such as Antidea
badiata (shoulder-stripe), another early species and described by Doubleday as
very common, the reason is underrecording. Others such as Anticollix sparsata
(dentated pug) (de Worms, 1953-57) were probably vagrants unlikely to recur.
However, there is a third, large category whose status is uncertain. With some
the foodplant is rare: for example Philereme vetulata (brown scallop) which
feeds on buckthorn (Rhamnus). Such species, if they survive, are likely to be at
39