Observations 6 Part 1

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OBSERVATIONS. " T h e true scientific mind builds itself an observatory upon the border line of present, which separates the infinite past from the infinite future. From this sure post it makes its sallies even to the beginning and to the end of all things. As to death, the scientific mind dies at its post working in normal and methodic fashion to the end ; it disregards so petty a thing as its own physical dissolution as completely as it does all other limitations upon the plane ofmatter."—Doyle, Poison Belt, cap. 3.

A RARE FOSSIL SHELL.—A year or t w o ago I picked u p a r o u n d

Flint, of the circular ' Westleton gun-shot gravel' at north Holton, containing both a perfect and imperfect specimen of the pre-crag Pecten despecta. T h e y are elongate Scallop-shells, multiradiate and, of crag-species, most resembling Pecten pusio, P e n n . (Trans.

Ii', 2 3 7 ) . — M . HOCKEN, D e c . 1945.

YARN HILL.—Ever since I found that Searles Wood had taken the rare fossil shell Pecten princeps, Sow., var. pseudoprinceps, W d . , there (Trans, ii, 238), I have wanted to search Yarn Hill in South Cove for it. O f t e n I have passed along the road over Potter's Bridge whence the Hill lies inland a few h u n d r e d yards on the south side of Easton estuary, b u t alwayo in too great haste to dally. Early in October, 1946, however, I found it to be a subcircular eminence, some four h u n d r e d paces in circumferencc, rising about forty feet above the marshland ; of gravel under red sand which may well be Crag though not a uhc'l of any sort was apparent in the scarty mole-runs and rabbit-scratchings. It is clothed with Gorse, Broom, Bracken and some fine, then seedirg, heath grass. Adjacent westward has been a second smaller hill, mainly dug away for it;gravel.

A DANGEROUS ALGA.—I happened to be Walking slowly along a path, f o r m e d some five years ago and ever since then persistently close machine-mown, on chalky boulder clay in M o n k s Soham garden : when I slipped and nearly feil, just as t h o u g h I had stepped u p o n ice. I looked down to discover the cause and f o u n d the ground, among the grass and weed roots, blackened for about an irregulär foot in diameter by a dense low oleaginous growth of some Alga.

Superficially one would a : c o u n t for its presence this year for the first time by the season's exceptional humidity ; b u t , even so, one would expect there to be some f a l c r u m below the ground-surface whence the plant could sprout. None is apparent, i.e. nothing b u t the close-cropped herbage on bare clay : no such suitable f u l c r u m as rotten sticks has been allowed to work into the clay. As I could recall no similar slippery mass elsewhere, I sent a sample, in simple rain-water to avoid shrivelling, to M r . Mayfield for identification. H e teils m e (in lit. 18 Sept.) that it is Nostoc commune, Vauch., and anything less like the dry and papyraceous sac of T r a n s , v, 141, it were hard to imagine, adding that at M e n d l e s h a m " my own garden paths have been ornamented this s u m m e r by two other terrestrial Algae : Ulothrix radicans, auct., forming a thin green feit and Porphyridium cruentum auct., looking like coagulated blood " : both N E w t o Suffolk.—CLAUDE MORLEY.

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O U R PRECOCIOUS S P R I N G . — T h e earliest plants noticed to flower this v e a r a t H i t c h a m were Shepherds Purse on 25 Jan. and Creeping Buttercup on 3 1 s t ; Speedwell 7 Feb., Chickweed 8th, Barren Strawberry Less Celandine & M a r s h Marygold 16th., Blackthorn 20th W h i t e Deadnettle 21 st, Scented Violet 22nd, White Violet and G r o u n d Ivy 24th ; Red Deadnettle 15 M a r c h , Oxlip 19th, Coltsfoot 20 th, Moschatel and Bulbous Buttercup 23rd, Cowshp, wild Periwinkle and Wood Anemone on 24 March.—ALWYN BULL ; 28 March. [ M r . Bull teils us he has seen 302 species of Phanerogams there in 1946.—ED.] O R C H I D E / E NEAR L E I S T O N . - Habenana chlorantha, Bah., grows in at least three woods within a three-mile radius f r o m here ; and Neottia nidus-avis, Rieh., in two woods. Ophrys apifera H u d occurs at various points near the Leiston-Theberton-Aldeburgh road b u t is difficult to find. A field of Orchis morio, L., near T h e bertön that included mauve and pink and white forms, was unfortunately ploughed in the spring of 1946. Epipactis palustris Crtz. grows in an unrecorded locality near T h e b e r t o n in delighttul association with Gymnadenia conopsea, Ben., of which one I picked a year or two ago measured 30 inches : I have seen these two species growing together elsewhere. Anemone pulsatilla, L., still flounshes on chalk in the extreme west of Suffolk (cf. Proc. i, p. xl), whence Reginald Flower reported it in one of his gardenmg books forty years ago : and this, despite the spot's frequention, where dozens of folk m u s t see it every day. Mushrooms, Agancus campestris, L were picked at Leiston during the last week of Nov. 1945.— DR. D . G . GARNETT, 30 Aug. [Mr. Bull also records O. mono f r o m H i t c h a m on 22 of last April.—ED.] B U C K T H O R N LOCALLY ABUNDANT.—In the little valley of the Blackwater River's tributary I have recently noticed a profusion of Rhamnus catharticus, L., in the northern hedge of the road between Ixworth and Walsham-le-Willows and rather nearer the former I n this one of his districts H i n d indicates the Plant to be most f r e q u e n t in Suffolk.—JOHN B U R T O N , V.V. ; 2 June 1946.

BOTANICAL N O T E S FOR 1 9 4 6 .

— W h a t a wondeful area Cavenham and Risby m u s t have been in Sir John C u l l u m ' s t i m e w h e n t h e Great Bustard roamed the Brecks. His locality : " In and about a large plantation of Scotch Firs before you come to Cavenham, chalky and dry," may refer to Risby Poors Heath where some treasures still linger. Hippocrepis comosa, L „ Astralagus dameus Retz. (also seen this year on West Calthorpe Heath), Spiraea Mpendula, L „ and Thesium humifusum, D C . I was searching the turf, closely cropped by rabbits, on 26 August last and f o u n d Helianthemum chamaecistus, Mill, Asperula cynanchica, L and Gentiana amarella, L . only rising a iew inches, along with the lovely Campanula glamerata, L., of which this is the hrst occasion I have seen a Suffolk speeimen although I know it at D u l h n g h a m in Cambridgeshire and on the South Downs etc., where it often

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grows in large tall Clusters, as in gardens, and is very attractive.

A search that same day on Tuddenham Heath failed to reveal any trace of our (? extinct) SufFolk Club-Mosses (Lycopodium).

Tuddenham and Cavenham Heaths are not what they were, and I lament th'eir spoilation.

While exploring an area near Stowmarket on 20 June, I was delighted to discoVer a group of the Lizard Orchis (Himantoglossum hircinum, Sprgl.) growing on a steep bank in loose chalky boulder clay mixed with some gravel. Within a few feet were Anacamptis pyramidalis, Rieh, and Ophrys apifera, Huds. Also nearby Orchis maculata, L., and hybrid X praetermissa, Dr. I hope this colony will continue to flourish ; the first seems established in the Gipping Valley, is recorded from Shrubland Park and would spread if there were more suitable habitats.

Mr. Platten teils me the alien Astrantia major, L., found in a few woods in the Midlands, has been growing in his garden at Needham Market for several years, but he does not know its origin.

I was pleased to reeeive a speeimen and to exhibit it at the Southwold October meeting. Little is now seen of the bright Adonis annua, L., as a cornfield weed : it was always a local. A speeimen was recently brought to the Ipswich Museum, found in Cliff Lane at Ipswich, near the docks.

T h e deep dredging and clearance in recent years of the beds of the Little Ouse and Waveney* have had a very serious and adverse effect on the limited Fen Vegetation of the Suffolk and Norfolk border. Many rarities have disappeared completely from some habitats where formerly quite abundant, although of course only so in restricted and small areas. Sanctuaries beloved by the botanist no longer possess Drosera sp. [Both Roundleaved and Intermediate Sundews abound in Thelnetham Fen, away from the river.—P. J . BURTON.] Pinguicula vulgaris, L., utricularia sp., Partiassia palustris, L., Orchis incarnata, L., and many other delightful plants. Liparis Loeselii, Rieh, in fair numbers before the war in a few of its habitats has almost gone and a very careful search this summer revealed about a dozen small speeimens.—F. W. SIMPSON. LARGE SUFFOLK T R E E S . — L a s t June I measured an Oak, Quercus

robur, by the railway in Barnby that was 16 feet and eight inches at five feet from ground ; and a Witch Elm, Ulmus montana, in a pasture to south of road south of Lavenham church, with a curious dice-shaker shaped trunk, the narrowest part of which at 4 feet high was no less than 22 feet and 2 inches in girth (P. J . BURTON, Lowestoft).—Last August I measured in Staverton Thicks, where * T h a t ours is a " land fit forheroes to live in " will shortly fceexemplified by their reservation of Redgrave Fen, so!e Suffolk home of many choice Plants and Insects, as a " Practice Bombing S i t e , " the Air Ministry is so good as to inform your Hon. Secretary. W e are thankful to have lived in Victorian days !—ED.

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the largest of the innumerable Hollies, Ilex aquifolium, L., are known to vary f r o m 67-87 inches in girth at four feet f r o m the ground, a magnificent Beeck whose circumference was fourteen feet nine inches at the same height. But the Oaks there, gnarled and pollarded as they are with a hoary appearance, seem never to exceed some ten feet in girth, which could carry t h e m back hardly beyond the Dissolution, one would imagine. F o r m e r records convey b u t little to us : e.g. ' T h e F r a m l i n g h a m Oak in Suffolk, used in the construction of the Royal Sovereign, was four feet nine inches Square and yielded f o u r Square beams, eac.h forty-four feet in length ' (Knight's T i m b e r T r e e s 1829, p. 8). T h e oldest (not largest, cf. T r a n s , v, 245, nota) tree in the world is popularly stated to be the sacred Bo-tree at Anaradhapura in north-central Ceylon, " planted in the year 288 B.C.", and now supported by small stone walls. T h e n Burgh Castle was a-bustle with the Stablesian Horse ! — C L A U D E MORLEY. T H E B R I N E S H R I M P , Artemia salina, L I N N — E a r l y in 1934 (Proc. ii, p. cxliii) I acquired eggs of this Shrimp in San Francisco and, u p o n reception, placed some in sea-water according to instructions, keeping t h e m w a r m in my vinery. T h e y hatched in twenty-four h o u r s ; the larvas are free-swimming and very active, as I exhibited before our Meeting at Beccles that year. T h e remaining eggs were p u t away in their cardboard carton in a dry cupboard. On 13 July 1939 more of t h e m were put into a glass jar of sea-water in the same vinery, and two days later the water was swarming with their active larvae, which continued equally active on 20 July ( T r a n s . 1939). Again the carton was shelved and in 1940 moved f r o m the M o u n t , to 40 Hotson-road, in Southwold ; in September 1946 I experimented to discover whether life yet remained. So at 2 p . m . on 14th I filled two test-glasses with sea-water, and added some more of the eggs : one glass was placed in a warm cupboard, the other on window-sill of a south-facing dining-room. Again two days later at 12.30 p.m. some of t h e m had hatched, and to-day 19 September many larvae are actively swimming in b o t h glasses.

T h e s e eggs had, therefore, remained alive and capable of emergence into embryotic Brine Shrimps for more t h a n twelve and a half years after I received t h e m . — D U D L E Y W . C O L L I N G S .

M I L L I P E D S PECULIARLY N U M E R O U S . — S o rarely do our T r a n s actions contain any notice of t h e Chilognatha (supra Vol. v, p. 87) that the occurrence of any species in unusual plenty seems worthy of record. T h u s , t h r o u g h o u t all N o v e m b e r and the latter moiety of October 1946, there was a great ' hatch ' of our commonest Suffolk kind, Julus terrestris, L i n n . , which ' rose - a s anglers say of Mayflies, in rather a different sense !—by crawling u p all t h e external walls and outbuildings of my M o n k s Soham house, a n d had to be continually ejected f r o m just inside its several doors.

T h e same kind of invasion, though always to a iesser degree has occasionally occurred dirung the past forty years here ; and I

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believe shelter from brumal severities to be its very simple cause.

Possibly abnormality of the previous summer accounts for such an abundaat hatch.

FIFTY YEARS AFTER.—While our late Treasurer Elliott and I were Walking across Grime Fen, from Burnt Fen railway Station to Lakenheath in the NW. corner of SufFolk, we encountered a dead Poplar-tree, under the moist bark of which when newly fallen had lived some specimens of the Rove Beetle Siagonium quadricorne, a curious little bestiole bearing four horns upon the front of its head. So conspicuous were these corneous processes that we recognised it to be a species quite new to us at the time, but the tree was much decayed and no more than a half dozen dead specimens could be found. That happened on 21 September 1896, since which time no more than a single captured in Stonor Park

by Father Perry, has been added to my collection. It was originally taken in SufFolk near Barham by the great Kirby, who brought forward (I won't say described) his single $ in the Introd. Entom. iii, 315, pl. i, fig. 3. It is known from most of southern England, extending northward no further than Norfolk where I don't think it has been discovered since taken before 1824, Leicester, Notts and Derbyshire, as well as from Carlow in Ireland, parallel with Derby. With us it must be extremely rare, for a half Century elapsed before I again met with it, and its larvae on 27 August 1946. In the present instance both sexes were, with the parasitic Proctotrypid Scelio rugosulus, Ltr., on old and decaying Hollytrees, that had long lain on the deep vegetable-mould beneath ancient pollarded Oaks in Staverton Thicks at Butley ; they lived between the bark and cambium layer where, as I tested between cork and glass, they creep slowly forwards, constantly exploring both flanks with continuous swaying antennae and moving the head from side to side, while the cJ's horns protect the eyes. Normally they proceed very gradually and possess none of the running power of Atheta-spp. When alarmed they hasten backward in a straight line, evidently when in situ this would be along the burrow in cambium previously tunnelled, a good deal faster than forward.

Associated under the bark were no other discoverable Beetles, bul multitudes of Oniscus ascellus, L. ; numerous Helix (Trichia) hispida, L., more Wood Worms Dendrobana arborea, Eisen, than I have ever seen together before (upon which, I suggest, the Siagonium subsists) and a single slender and transparent Oligoehast Worm that Mr. Grant names Enchytrceus sp., NEW to Suffolk.— CLAUDE MORLEY. [The Worm is Annelida : Chcetopoda : Oligochseta : Naidomorpha : Enchytraeidae, which family consists of white Worms with four bunches of bristles on each segment and often four bristles in each bunch. A clitellum i.e. saddle is present, and they have the habit of keeping themselves very rigid. They are scavengers and live under tree-bark and stones, in damp earth, and fresh water.—H. C. G.]

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CARRION B E E T L E S . — O n a ' keepers-tree ' in T u d d e n h a m F e n on 2 J u n e last were suspended a Crow Corvus corone, L . ; a Jackdaw Corvus monedula, L., rarely seen in such a Situation in Suffolk ; a T a w n y O vvl Strix aluco, L . (shame !) ; three Magpies Pica caudata, Flem. ; and four young Stoats Mustela erminea, L., with an isolated fifth on another tree a few h u n d r e d yards away. F r o m these were beaten several of the generally-common Beetles Aleochara curtula (fuscipes), Dermestes murinus, Nitidula bipunctata (bipustulata) and Omosita discoidea.

U n d e r the spreading leaves of an Erodium cicutarium plant, growing in sand on the H e a t h her*e, was the very local Weevil Phytonomus dauci, Ol. or fasciculatus, H b s t . — P . J.

BURTON, L o w e s t o f t .

A RARE F U N G U S - B E E T L E . — A m o n g a mass of Woodlice Oniscus asellus, L., Ants Myrmica leevinodis, Nyl., and various species of grey Mould on the lower surface of an old log lying in my M o n k s S o h a m paddock was Walking a specimen of Agathidium varians, Bk., on 9 M a y last. T h e larvae of all this genus are known to feed u p o n fungi, with which the rotting wood was liberally strewn. I have discovered A. varians only twice before in our County : here in the cleft of a dead L a u r e l - s t u m p on 20 M a r c h 1905, and in S h r u b l a n d Park on 27 April 1933, whence the Beetles appear exclusively spring imagines.—CLAUDE M O R L E Y .

Coccinella 4-punctata, P O N T . , SPREADS TO NORFOLK. - S o m e young Naturalists and I were at T a v e r h a m , five miles north-west of Norwich, on 3 Jan. 1946. T w o little girls b r o u g h t me a strip of bark f r o m the base of an old Scots Pine, whereupon were arrayed more t h a n 200 Adaita bipunctata, L., with a beautiful C. A-punctata of the f o r m \6-punctata, F., in their midst, like a shepherd of the flock. O n the same tree I then f o u n d one more of the latter, this time of the typical f o r m , with b u t two black spots on each elytron.

I have identified t h e m by comparison with your examples in M r . E . C. Bedwell's collection, now in this M u s e u m . — E . A. E L L I S , Norwich Castle M u s e u m ; 9 Jan. In quite a different part of Norfolk, at Ringmere on 24 August, two m o r e specimens were f o u n d u n d e r Birches by M r . J. Riley, who extended its Suffolk ränge by the discovery of a single example on Scots Pine, near Brandon to south of the Ouse on 20 April 1 9 4 6 . — I d . ; 9 Sept.

AN OLD FRIEND.—I was glad to ascertain on 30 September that Scymnus pulchellus still persists in the locality at Frostenden where so many of our Coleopterists, finally M r . Donisthorpe & the late Prof. Sir T h o m a s Beare in 1937 (Trans, supra), took it a decade ago. But the original old Elm-tree is no more, leaving nothing b u t a couple of feet of hollow s t u m p . T h e next tree is an Ivyless Oak, so I worked the second which is another ancient Oak but quite dead and thickly mantled with Ivy, whence I beat, along with Scymnus, some interesting Epurece and many Issus, u p o n whose

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nymphs I have suggested S. pulchellus to subsist. This conclusively shows its association to be with Ivy, not the tree the latter mantles.—CLAUDE

MORLEY.

T w o FURNITURE BORERS.—In January 1946 an oak sideboard was purchased in Lowestoft; and on 12 May I noticed a transverse hole in its door, below which saw-dust had lallen. Upon the door's removal more such dust was extracted by tapping, which revealed a hole 8 m m . broad by 3 mm. high, running 18 mm. back into the wood. From it the enclosed perfect Beetle crawled, with the urge of a pin. Will you kindly teil me what the Beetle is and if we are likely to find more in other parts of the furniture : we have no old oak at all.—MRS. BARBARA LEES, 288 London Road South, Lowestoft. [The Insect is Callidium variabile, L., a fairly common Longicorn Beetle both in and out of doors throughout N W . Europe (Trans, iii, 186). It is not unlikely that more specimens will emerge from the same oak-wood as the species is often gregarious (cf. 1. c. ii, 180). In place of the normal years of seasoning, English timber is now ninety per cent. kilndried and ten per cent. merely air-dried on account of the great demand for ' Utility ' furniture set up by post-war cheapness of money. Then the wood is examined by govt. inspectors, who are supposed to condemn any that shows ' worm ' holes. Purchasers subjected to the above inconvenience have a case against the Board of Trade.—ED.] A specimen of the neotropical Longicorn Pantomallus (Lac. 1868) morosus, Serv., this summer ate its way out of a bedstead that had been in constant use at Yarmouth for no less than 9i years, during which period its larvse obviously bored the wood, erroneously supposed to be Oak. For this Beetle is represented in the Norwich Museum by an example from Brazil in the late Mr. Ernest C. Bedwell of Lowestoft's collection. Has it been found before hatching out of furniture in Britain.—E. A . ELLIS, 9 Sept.

[No.—Ed.] A LONGICORN BEETLE NEW TO SUFFOLK.—One $ Agapanthia lineaticollis, Don., was secured Aying over the edge of a small pond just west of the Brandon road, N . of Barton Mills, in Mildenhall on 8 July 1 9 4 6 . — G E O F F R E Y BURTON. [This is an addition to the County List that has been long expected, for the species, known throughout Central Europe, is quite confined in Britain to the SE. English counties, where it is very local and usually rare, said to frequent Thistles and Heracleum sphondylium. It ranges only from one wood in Lines, through Hunts, where it seems extinet in Monks Wood, and Cambs. whence Donovan in 1797 described the type from Willow Bark in the Isle of Ely (vi, pl. 209) whereon it was probably discovered by Marsham & William Kirby on 4 July 1797 (Freeman's Life 1852, 83); Wicken where a melanic form occurs (? subchalybaa, Reit.), Burwell Fens & Whittlesea Mere ; in Chippenham Fen we took a pair in cop. on Eupatorium

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on 19 Tune 18 99 when collecting with Mr. Francis Gayner F.E.S., M BOU In ' some parts of Norfolk it had been found abundantly ' before 1831 (Stephens' cardui), but was rare in a turfmeadow at Oby near Yarmouth in july (Paget 1834, 29) and we have found it only on Sallow near Eupatorium flowers in Hortung F e n on 1 Tulv 1924 : unusually common in Wheatfen Marsh, M r Ellis reports, this year. It is recorded trom Oxfordshire and, o v e r a c e n J r y ago, from both Darenth and1 W. Wickham woods in Kent ' Villosoviridescens applied to it in 1775 by DeUeer Mem v 76, is a sesquipedalian description and not a title. t d . J A LARVIPAROUS BLISTER BEETLE.--Member Frank Stanley has just been so good as to give me a half-dozen of a beatifulgrey Blister Beetle from West Africa a species of the Dr Blair teils me, with the valuable Observation : I found one pai'r in copula and kept them in a collecting box, where thejr parted Company the next day. Just four days later the $ gave b>rthto3550 small beetles. There was no question of eggs bemg laid as i actually watched the arrival of a few of the little Beetles. I was astonished, for I had no previous knowledge that certain Beetles w re vTviparous ' (in lit,. 20 Nov. 1946). These specimens closely allied to Lytta (Trans, iv, 223) were c a p t u r c d a t l a k k a r Hann and M'Bou in Senegal during 27 A u g u s t - 1 7 O c t o h c , l m A l l the British Meloida are known to be o v i p a r o u s . - C L A U D E M O R L E Y H I B E R N A T I O N OF A BRECK W E E V I L . - I enclose Cionus longicolhs Bris found on the Breck Sand with thirty other specimens at West Stow on 7 May. All were hibernating in the inflorescence oi dead Verbascum thapsus stalks, none on the new P 1 ^ ^ ^ they seem common, for over fifty were noted before 20 A p n l t h i s the third consecutive year in that locality - O W E N G I L B E R T , Dalton Hall, Victoria Park, Manchester 14 ; 21 May^ [Very soon after this pretty Beetle's first British discovery m Hants, it was found n some plenty at Barton Mills in August 1914 by• M r Pool Mildenhall in July 1915 by Sir Hudson Beare, and M r . Donisthorpe in Sept 1917 (Ent. Ree. 1918, 28). Later it was taken throughout summer fri m 28 May, by M M . Bedwell, Doughty Elhott Harwood, Tottenham and in eop. on 3 June 1916 by m , t h e « as well as at Freckenham, Lakenheath and Brandon always on Woo ly Mullein. West Stow extends its distribution five miles Ebbastwards.—Ed.] COLEOPTEROUS N O T E S OF 1 9 4 6 , - T h e r e has not been much rn the Natural History way this spring about Southwold ^ d t h e o n l ^ conspicuous Insect to the present date is the Ladybird Adalia bipunetata, L „ which already for several weeks has been very abundant here (D. W . C O L L I N G S , Southwold ; 30 April 1 9 4 6 ) . An unusual number of Sexton Beetles Necrophorus mortuorum Fab., were found among the gills of the ed.ble F u n g u s Lep ota procera, Scp., at Blythburgh Heath on 2 Sept. (MLY) but no Beetles whatever in a profusion of it at Redgrave Fen on 6th

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(BIGGS).—A stonemason friend recently gave me a damaged of the Stag Beetlt Lucanus cervus, L., picked up in an Ipswich churchyard in 1942 (E. A. ELLIS, Norwich Museum ; 9 Jan. 1946).—By casual sweeping in Dernford Fen, Cambs., recently I obtained Cassida viridis, L. (Dr. W. F. BUCKLE, 27 Aug). Metacus paradoxes at Gisleham, sitting in sun on Ash trunk, 27 Sept.

A SEA-COAST B U G FAR I N L A N D . — I was amazed on 22 of last August to discover in my net fully a half-dozen specimens of Chorosoma Schillingi, Schi., after it had been swept over Erica tetralix and soft curly Grasses close to the (now war-excavated) Neolithic tumulus upon the highest point, just above the 50-feet contour, of Blaxhall Heath ; this is a half-mile from the fresh-water River Aide and just miles west from the nearest point of the coast, slightly south o f Aldeburgh. Now, this Bug is everywhere confined to sea-side sand-hills, where it is exclusively attached to spikelets of Psamma arundinacea, Hst. (Ent. Ree. xl, p. 11), whereon the eggs are found in September (EMM. 1912, p. 38) : the one possible exception being Saunders' " on Marram grass, etc.", but the sole etc. that he had in mind seems to be Curtis' 1830 name arurdir.is for the same species, certainly never found normally on Reed. Here, on typical and ccmparatively high heathland, could be no Marram or Lyme grasses : indeed, the only kind swept was the Agropyron junceum, Beauv., that I know so well from its frequency all over our Breck. T h e Chorosoma occurs on Marram Grass along our coast at Lowestott (Saunders), Southwold where I found the nymph Walking slowly and sedately with its abdomen erect above its back like that of an alarmed Earwig on 20 July 1901, Sizewell where I saw many imagines at midnight on 28 July 1937 while searching for Moths with Col. Hawley, and at Thorp, but is unnoted further south in Suffolk. It was abundant in the same Situation at Holme-juxta-Mare on 19 August 1906, and first recorded frem Norfolk near Yarmouth by the Pagets in 1834, p. 42.

Thence it extends round the whole English south coast, possibly excepting only Somerset, to Anglesea ; but is unknown in the parallel Lines, and anywhere further north, as well as in Ireland ( E M M . 1945, p. 256). It is stränge to find the Bug inland, but the probability that it there feeds upon a sand-heath kind of Grass is equally remarkable.

Tettigoniella viridis, L . — T h e extreme profusion of this brilliantly pale green Froghopper in Redgrave Fen on 13 July last demands especially notice, for at least a dozen, and in the most favourable situations a score, were flushed at every step one took in the moister situations ; also the date is remarkably early. It was still present there, but in greatly reduced numbers, on 6 September. Samouelle is quite wrong in his 1819 Statement that the imago appears during May to July ; frem 1895 near Ipswich to 1939 in Wales, larvae have occurred to me only between 2-13 July and I have never before taken imagines before 15 July (1942, when they abounded in Thelnetham Fen) and thence right up to the early

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55

frosts I find no good account of its early stages, reference to the eggs, or particular food-plant: my best is ' ' f o u n d on rushes and rank grosses in damp situations throughout all Europe and Siberia The larva and pupa are extremely elegant while alive, but shnvel and lose pigments after death. The former is lemon-coloured or very pale green, marked with longitudinal stripes and in its more advanced stages the two black vertical spots are a so visible • the pupa has its rudimentary hemelytra marked with a large black Stria " (Revd T . A. Marshall, E M M . 1865, 84). It Aounshes all over Ireland and Britain, up to at least Rannoch ; I have taken it on Cläre Island, about Carlisle and rare var. arundmis, Germ., in Cambs Aug. 1 9 0 4 . — C L A U D E MORLEY. DRAGONFLIES OF 1 9 4 6 . — T h e very forward spring was thought nropitious, but this was rendered useless by the cold weather of early summer; and Odonata were distinctly below the average, especially as regards the larger species, throughout the year. My own captures of any note extended hardly beyond a couple of Sympetrum flaveolum, L „ at Blythbro Wood on 4 Aug. and Redgrave Fen on 13 July, when I was glad to complete my senes of Pyrrhosoma tenellum, Vill. (Trans, v, 218); there it was scarcer than last year, perhaps getting over (P. J. BURTON, L o w e s t o f t ) . A Aying visit to Catfield marsh in Norfolk on the bnlliant morning of 3 Aug. proved abortive for, by the time we arnved, the sun was gone a small rain was falling and no single JEschna Isosceles, MuH., discoverable ; nothing better was seen than Sympetrum strwlatum, Chp with plenty of Lestes sponsa, Hans, and Agnones (CLAUDE MORLEY) —We noticed about a dozen Calopteryx virgo at Mildenhall in early July, but the day was dull and only those resting on reeds could be seen (GEOFFREY B U R T O N ) . - ^ « « mixta was Aying slowly in Stuston chyd at 2.30 with no sun in 21 Uct. U N K N O W N IN SUFFOLK !—The Insects of our County are gradually coming to be so thoroughly investigated that, when an Ammal that is well known in other parts of England cannot be found here, one wants to discover a good reason for its absence, and more especially so in the case of a large and conspicuous species which cannot have been overlooked through the seventeen years of this Society's life. Probably no better instance of such absence exists than that of the gold-banded black DragonAy called Cordyleraster Boltoni, Don., fully three inches in length. This splendid chap occurs from Guernsey and the New Forest where it is common, all up the west of Britain to Inverness, and yet extends nowhere east of a line between Berks and Northants, its nearest point to Suffolk. I have found it at various places between Hanls and Derbyshire ; only at Hayburn Wyke has it ever been recorded (Entom. 1902) from the east coast; this year it occurred in the Cleveland Hills ; and, indeed, it was original y descnbed by Edward Donovan in 1807 from a specimen sent by the otherwise unsung " Mr. Bolton " to Drury from Yorkshire. Yet, with all

56

OBSERVATIONS

that distribution, it seems never to have been seen (similarly to the Bug Calocoris 6-guttatus, Fab.:Trans.: iv, 66)inLincoln, Hunts, Cambs, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex or K e n t ! — C L A U D E MORLEY. CAMBS. SPECIALITIES' SUFFOLK E X T E N S I O N . — T h e peculiarly Wicken Pyraustid Phlyctaia cilialis is recorded new to, and Noctuid Meliana flammea (Mem. SNS. 1937, p. 132) definitely located in, Suffolk at Trans, supra iv, 267, by the capture of both fifteen miles further east, i.e. at Brandon, in 1939. That extension of their ränge is now fully doubled by their common capture at light in Thelnetham Fen, near the source of the Little Ouse River, at midnight on 22 June last by our Hon. Secretary and me.

In just the same vague manner as the above Noctuid, Meyrick instances the Tineid Ethmia decemguttata, Hb., from ' Suffolk ' (1927, p. 742) : this also was localised by the attraction of a beautiful male at Thelnetham that night, now in Mr. Morley's collection. Sweeping there at 8 p.m. showed little of note but 252 Herminia cribralis ; dusking at 8.45 brought 746 Pyrausta olivalis and plenty of 516 Metrocampa margaritaria ; and, as soon as it was applied but no later, sugar was visited by the ubiquitous species 86, 96, 110, 241, 253 and 697 Crambus uliginosellus at 9.30, when 202 Leucania impudens was sitting about on marsh herbage.

T h e lamp was lit at 10.15 but assemblage thereat proved unusually slow, considering the dead calm with light southerly air, cloudy sky and a temperature of just under 60 , falling to 52' by 12.30 when we l e f t ; I remember only the common moths 19, 20, 58, 142, 277, 311, 329, 472, 491, 512, 736, several 312 Leptomeris immutaria and 703 Crambus hortuellus, with a few 765 and 857 Tortrix costana, but many 995 Argyroploce lacunana. Lack of choicer kinds was ascribed to recent cold and inclement weather.—Other Orders showed at light:—The Click-beetle Athous vittatus, Fab. ; the Crane-flies Pales flavescens, L., Limnophila dispar, Mg., Limonia dumetorum, Lw. and two other kinds ; the Cecidomyiid Hormomyia fasciata, Mg. ; the Leptid Chrysophilus cristatus, Fab. ; and Anthomyiid Caricea tigrina, Fab.—P. J. BURTON, 1 July 1946.

Trichopteryx polycommata, H B . , IN W I L T S . — I was delighted to see the lovely Cardamines in my garden on 2 April; but fear he must regret so early an appearance, for the weather changed abruptly [as also in Suffolk] on 5th and it has been very cold since then. On 31 March I went up to some chalk hills in Wiltshire to see what might be seen: my favourite Stretch has been ploughed, alas ! and all its beautiful Polygala and Lotus turned underground. But I had a pleasant surprise for, while sitting on a bank eating my lunch by the wood, I saw a small moth move from one twig to the next in an adjacent bush : my curiosity being aroused, I investigated and found it to be T. polycommata.

The species had never come my way before, so I was glad to capture a nice series there in the evening. Little eise was to be seen, excepting the usual hibernated C-album, Rhamni, Io and Urtica

OBSERVATIONS

57

with the common moths Parthenias, Areola and Bistortata.

In that wood occurs Sesia andreniformis, Lsp., but I fear I am not well enough practised at recognising the new from the old burrows to discover its larvse in Viburnum stems.—(Col.) BROUGHTON HAWLEY, Salisbury ; 6 April 1946.

E I G H T Y YEARS AFTER ! — I found a single male of Boarmia consortaria, Fab., resting on the trunk of an Oak-tree in Bentley Woods on 16 June last, the first noted thence since at least 1865, after which date Suffolk's sole record is one from Wrentham woods a decade ago fMem. Suff. Nat. Soc. 1937, 79).—SAMUEL BEAUFOY, 17 June.

Aletia albipuncta, F A B . , IN SOME PLENTY.—Barrett considered this species worthy of an especial note upon the unique specimen hitherto captured in Suffolk : " It is satisfactory to be able to record a further extension of ränge of this comparatively recent immigrant to these islands. A very fine specimen, taken at sugar in his garden at Hemley, has been submitted for my information by the Rev. A. P. Waller " ( E M M . 1902, 263 ; S N S . Mem. 1937, p. 42).—This year two flew to car-lights at Foxhall Heath on 11 August, of which one was netted and the other alighted upon Gorse and was lost; again, between 24-31 August, six mare were secured at light on Foxhall and Playford heaths (JOHN & GEOFFREY BURTON). Upon their kind information of the above by the Needham Burtons, I tried my luck, amidst a pretty barren season, in the same direction ; and had the pleasure of finding upon sugar one example in marshes at Blythburgh on 23 August, and three more on Lowestoft denes on 11 September (P. J . BURTON, Lowestoft).

And four at Iken marshes that month (C. GARRETT JONES). A. albipuncta in Britain is confined to the south English coast from Kent to Devon, the larva feeding ' on grasses ' (Meyrick) from Nov. to June. Member Embry, who has kindly given it to us from Dover on 3 Sept. 1935, adds its occurrence in the Thames estuary ; it appears still unknown along the Essex coast.—Ed. Aporophyla lutulentaßKH., RECURS.—Single females of this species were netted at light in Playford on both 21 and 29 September ; the latter laid a batch of eggs (GEOFF. BURTON ; 13 Oct. 1946).— Among the Noctuse that were new to me last Autumn was A. lutulenta, taken near Aldeburgh (H. E. CHIPPERFIELD). [First records since Col. Hawley took the earliest Suffolk specimens on sugar in Staverton Thicks'late in 1932, where Mr. Jim Burton and I have later vainlv sought it.—ED.] A DOZEN Graphiphora orbona, H F N . — A t dusk on 1 3 July last we began to gather Heather to take home on Foxhall Heath, when my father nearly clutched a Noctuid which we boxed. It looked so like G. orbona that we proceeded to examine the whole clump, wherein we kept on discovering more similar specimens along with G. pronuba emerging from the Heather. Thence we fairly quickly netted four, and began to be sceptical of their identity.

58

OBSERVATIONS

Thrce more completed our series, whose name we later confirmed.

And, a fortnight afterwards, tvvo or three were found on a heath some half-mile further south. GEOFFREY BURTON.—One bred from pupa found at Knodishall on 20 June last. H. E. C H I P P F . R FIELD. M A P L E PROMINENT M O T H R E C U R S . — I took a male of the rare Zophoteryx cuculla in Southwold churchyard on 14 July l a s t ; but had no box, and its convevance home in a handkerchief was deleterious.—REGINALD B A K E R , Reydon ; v.v. 2 5 Sept.

Deilephila lineata, F A B . , AT F E L I X S T O W . — I have a passion for looking things up ; hence I was able to identify the Striped Hawk, which I send herewith. It was attracted by the light in my room here at Greenways in Old Felixstow at 9.15 p.m. on 5 July, and finally settled on the top of a cupboard that was sprinkled with ' D.D.T.' where I covered it with a cup tili the next evening.

Another species arrived a night or two later and stayed on a window for several days, which I fail to name ; it is that depicted inside the cover of Series i, of South's ' British Moths'. Both were quite likely immigrants, as there are but two fields between this house and the s e a . — ( M R S . ) ETHEL BEAUMONT ; 17 July 1 9 4 6 . [The former specimen is a $ of the British maximum expanse of 90 mm. ; it is very widely distributed, and we have examples from both Aden and the Canaries. The latter is the generally-common British Smerinthus populi, L.—Ed.] MORE HAWK-MOTHS.—Two Sphinx ligustri in Southwold ( C O L L I N G S in Proc. post) ; and one on door-post in Lowestoft town on 1 August (HOCKEN).—Many Macroglossa stellatarum this year round Leiston, especially on the coast where on 8 July I watched one laying eggs on Galium verum ; a larva, produced from one, pupated on 20 August. The imago of a large Deilephila elpenor caterpillar, found upon Fuchsia here last summer, emerged, a lovely Insect, at mid-June 1946. After those of July (Trans, v, 222), many Sphinx convolvuli turned up in my Leiston garden last year, between 4 Aug. and 17 Sept., never more than singly : several I caught, to avoid wrongful repetition, and released next day.

The sole one of this year was seen on 31 July ; but on 4 August I caught a very worn $ Sphinx pinastri at my garden Nicotiana flowers, which was so tired that it sat down to feed instead of hovering in the usual way (DR. G A R N E T T , 3 0 A u g . ) . ^ O n 7 July three $ 2 S. pinastri, bred from 1945 larvas here, were placed on Scots Pine trunks at dusk ; the first was mated within ten minutes and separated on 8th morning ; the second was mated on 7th morning and separated that evening, when all four flew away ; the third crawled a couple of yards up the trunk, and there found a mate. Hence at least males cannot be scarce at Herringfleet ( R O S S - L E W I N , St. Olaves).—I took a perfect specimen of the Pine Hawk at rest upon this house on 1 August. I think that it is worth recording, as we are far from its usual haunts, have no pine-woods

OBSERVATIONS

59

in the neighbourhood, and only a few specimen trees of the kind in our g a r d e n . — R . SHAFTO ADAIR (Bart.), Flixton Hall, near Bungay ; 5 Aug. 1946.* SÜFFOLK LEPIDOPTERA IN 1 9 4 6 . — N e v e r i n o u r

half-century's

experience has there been such an apparent dearth of M o t h s in the County as during the past twelve months, t h r o u g h o u t which b o t h sugar and light have attracted nothing but the commonest kinds and of t h e m unusually small nu mbers. Last year's sparcity may be t h o u g h t to account for this, probably quite wrongly ; for not infrequently t h e r e comes a p h e n o m e n a l spate, equally surprising, on the heels of several lean seasons. Such things h a p p e n ! April and the initial moiety of July were the sole good periods of weather ; b u t not tili August were M o t h s n u m e r o u s , and then, in our own experience, confined to coast denes. N o . 11 (of our 1937 Memoir) Senex : c o m m o n at light in T h e l n e t h a m F e n ( G B t n ) & a few on Kessingland denes (Mly) ; Urtica : one at light, with Maritima on sugar, at Walberswick 6 July ( B t n ) ; 12. Miniata : at least t h r e e ? $ were assembling a score of ö S Aying a n d sitting on grass-stems u n d e r Birch at Mildenhall, their eggs are orange and elongate, affixed at one extremity and spaced inter se with extreme accuracy ; 16. Fuliginosa : F o u r at Stowmarket light in August (Aston), one bred f r o m T h e l n e t h a m larva, and four S S a t üg* 11 in Barking W o o d , early August ( G B t n ) ; 57a Spodoptera exigua, Hb., a nice fresh specimen at light, 1 Sept. at Bodenham, Wilts, where was one last year (HAWLEY) ; 68. Umbra : several on M a r ram-grass flower at Kessingland Denes 1 Aug., with a few 72.

Elymi, 74. phragmitidis & 84. matura ; there too, m u c h out of place was one 102. ochroleuca (Btn), of which two carae to light in Barking W o o d (GBtn) & two on 4th at Stowmarket (Aston) ; 108. Nictitans : rare at light in C o d d e n h a m chalk-pit, at Fritton Lake and on Kessingland denes, at which last 109. literosa was common (Mly); 114. peltiger: " taken near N e w m a r k e t " , apparently in 1857 (Ent. W k . Intell. lxiii, 83), two larvae on Calendula plants in Stowmarket garden late Aug. (Aston), one worn specimen on rough g r o u n d at Mildenhall in July, with two nice 115. Dipsaceus (GBtn) ; several 119. Ripce & 127. Cursoria were on flowering P s a m m a arundinacea grass at Kessingland denes on 1 Aug., with many 122. Vestigialis (Mly), of which one came to light on Foxhall H e a t h early in Aug., when 120. Strigula also occurred ; 136. Ditrapezium : was f o u n d singly at T h e l n e t h a m Fen (GBtn) ; 154. Interjecta was flushed on Catfield marsh in Norfolk on 3 Aug. (Mly) ; 185. Asterts : one at light fully three miles f r o m any salt-marsh on 20 July ( C h i p f l d ) ; 252. Cribralis : one in T h e l n e t h a m F e n , b u t many among rushes, &c, at M i l d e n *Have taken n o t h i n g startling this year : saw a f r i e n d box Pinastrt f r o m a telegraph-pole by rny F r e s h w a t e r house, a n d captured one myself at L y m i n g t o n . D R . B L A I R in lit., 1 S e p t e m b e r . (Apparently n e w to I .

W i g h t : n o t in M o r e y ' s G u i d e , p. 400. Editor.)

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OBSERVATIONS

hall, 10-12 July ; 272. Luctuosa : one at Cotton, 5 Aug. ; 202.

Impudens: quite common in car-lights at Mildenhall; 203.

Sraminea : one on Thelnetham Fen, another in Bentley Woods (J. & GBtn) ; 210. Littoralis : uncommon on Kessingland marramgrasses on 1 Aug. (Mly) ; 215. Gracilis : half-dozen at light in Barking Wood 20 April (GBtn), Stowmarket (Aston), at Sallowfl. at Fritton Lake on 4 April, with one 219. Miniosa and several 221. Munda (Btn), of which last some were on Stowmarket Sallow (Aston) & a dozen came to Barking light on 23 March & 16 April only ; there 217. Gothica similarly occurred as late as 25 May (GBtn); 222. Graminis : on flower in Blythburgh Wood 4 Aug. (Mly); 232. Serena : several at Mildenhall light; 248. Myrtilli : two swept from Foxhall heather early Aug. ; 262. Pastinum : fully a dozen flushed in Thelnetham Fen ; 274. Uncula : four at Mildenhall & one at Thelnetham, early Aug. (GBtn), and several in Redgrave Fen 13 July; 281. Festuca : one quite fresh on 7 Aug. Stowmarket (Aston); 284. Gamma : in most unusual plenty : ' in hundreds at flowers along Lowestoft esplanade close to the sea in June ' (Btn) ; in dozens and a few still there at Petunia-fl. on 2 Aug. ; at Dahlia-fl. on 26 Sept. when I found that this ' Insect of Perpetual Motion ' sat quiescently in a glass-bottomed box from midnight of 2nd Aug. to morning of 5th, despite transit from Lowestoft to Monks Soham. On 18th it was again, or still, equally numerous at fll. of the Mustards Brassica alba et sinapistrum, Canadian Fleabane, &c, atop the Bawdsey cliff for over a mile. But Monks Soham seemed too far inland for its ränge, for not a half-dozen were seen there, mainly in June (Mly), though ' literally hundreds ' came at times to Valerian at Drinkstone (Barcock) and it ' was an absolute pest everywhere in the County, especially in Needham garden where there must have been fully a hundred at the same time,(JBtn), scores in Herringfleet garden by day and night but mainly dusk (R. Lewin). Last seen in Thorndon Fen on 14 Sept. 292. Coryli : 26 specimens at 1. in Barking Wood 14 April to 1 June, 15 of them on 27 April (GBtn) ; 296.

Monacha : $ on oak-trunk in Blythburgh Wood 4 Aug.—298.

Muricata : Redgrave Fen 13 July (Mly), 5 among Heather at Mildenhall (GBtn); 307. Dimidiata : half-dozen at Monks Soham and Kessingland denes ; 309. Bisetata : Fritton Lake at 12 Aug. (Mly) ; 304. Inornata : Foxhall Heath 1-10 Aug. ; 317. Rubiginata : a pair at Mildenhall and ö at Icklingham, we did not find the correct locality, I presume ; 323. Annulata : two in Barking Wood (GBtn) ; 328. Vernaria: first in 40 years on chalky boulder-clay of Monks Soham at 1., 20 July (Mly), one Stowmarket light 29 July (Aston); 330. l'apilionaria : Mildenhall, Thelnetham & Barking (GBtn), Stowmarket (Aston); 333. Carpinata : one beside Fritton Lake 4 April (Btn), three in Barking Wood 27 April; 334. Sexalisata : one beaten by day at Thelnetham Fen (GBtn) ; 353. Linariata : one at Stowmarket 11 Aug. (Aston); 374. Sub-

OBSERVATIONS

61

notata : one at Monks Soham light 23 July (Mly); 385. Certata : just emerging from Berberis at Bury, 4 May (Btn); 396. Rivata : not uncommon at Blakenham Parva ; 399. Virgata : a senes at Icklingham ; 415. Silaceata & 416. Corylata, singly at Barking 1. on 19 May & 7 June (GBtn) ; 419. Badiata : extended at Monks Soham 1. 24 March to 30 April (Mly); 420. Nignfasaaria: one Barking 1.20 April (GBtn) ; 422. Berberata : not emerged by 4 May (Btn), common at Bury in 1865 (Wratislaw, E M M i, 187) and 1896 (Norgate, Ent. Ree. viii, 312) ; 423. Cuculata : laryse in ' warrens ' near Bury 1896 (Norgate, 1. c.) ; 429. AIchemi«ata: one at dusk in Thelnetham Fen, with one 432. Albulata ; 458.

Ouadrifasciaria : beaten singly at Mildenhall and Thelnetham Fen ; 468. Not ha : Ringshall & Barking 23 March to 14 April (GBtn) ; 470. Notata : very rare this year in Bentley Woods on 7 Tune (Btn); 505. Aurantiaria : on the wing there, 18 Nov 1945 (Beaufoy); 510. Stratarius : <J «J at Barking 1., 23 March (GBtn); 488. Grossulariata : two small larvas, that had crawled from external Blackthorn inside a garden door, sat immoveable on the whiteplastered ceiling from late Oct. 1945 to the April heat of 1946 then crawled out again .(Mly) ; 515. Silaceata : two in Northwold Wood : 518. Dolabraria : one sitting near elm-hedge 20 June (Aston) • 517. Pulveraria : five at Barking 1. in wood 4-18 May ; 529 Alniaria : Foxhall as early as 10 Aug. ; 537. Or : at Barking 1 singly 18 May & 14 June ( G B t n ) ; 541. Ridens : Stowmarket 1 27 April (Chipfld), four at Barking 1. 20 & 27 April, 9 settled in unlit area, S danced persistently up and down hke a Limnobnd (GBtn) —544. Stellatarum : a remarkable influx in early July, but few later : on Kettleburgh window 5th (Cyril Cracknell, t. Mly), Martlesham garden 7th (Lingwood), 6th & 7th & 8th at Hernngfleet (R -Lewin),7th in Framlingham (Aston), Somerleyton (Miss Long) Orwell Park (R. R. -Lewin), Mildenhall, at Bramble-fl.

Barking and frequent in Needham garden, seen three at a tune (GBtn), Southwold in Aug. (Collings); 545.Porcellus: afewwere the only species of interest round flowers at night up to 20 July at Drinkstone (Barcock).

560 Curtula : at light Stowmarket 27 April and Barking Wood July (Chipfld), 27 at Barking 1. 21 April to 7 June, 17 of them on 18 May ; 561 .Ziczac : one there at 1., 27 April; 562. Dromedanus: 3 larvse on Needham alders about 1940 & 3 in Bentley Woods 10 Aug 1946- 564. Dictceoides : one at 1. Foxhall Heath 10 Aug.; 565 Tremula : a $ at 1. Martlesham Heath a few days earlier ; 566. Trepida : three at Barking 1. 18 May to 1 June ; 572ai.Pttlophora plumigera : my father & I took in all 13 $ $ there, 27 Oct. to 25 Nov. on which latter date came six, all 13 between 6.15 & 8.30 p.m. [correct at Proc. supra, v, p. xciv—Ed.] ; 575. Bifida : Q there 18 M a y ; 579. Pavonia : Needham in May (GBtn), Stowmarket in April (Aston), Earls Soham 25 April, Buxhall cocoon (supra, v, 222) produced in June 1946 three parasitic

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OBSERVATIONS

Tachinid-flies Compsilura concinnata, Mg. (Editor) ; 581. Lacertinaria & falcataria : both uncommon at Martlesham ( J B t n ) ; 587. Quercus : frequent at Drinkstone (Barcock) only ; 590. Lanestris : many nests near Framlingham (Aston), on 11 M a y " I counted nine larval nests, and two of Neustria, on the few yards of hedge outside a Cookley cottage, and saw many more all along the same road ; they seem to prefer low, clipped hedges to high, wellgrown ones : possibly the younger foliage is more succulent " (Btn). Hedges at Thonglane in Gravesend were so thickly infested with ' Lackey-moth ' larvae that the Corporation fired entire lane on 18 May, after spraying the nests with paraffin (London Paper.

Quite unnecessarily drastic, for the caterpillars are innocuous and their hairs non-irritant.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ed.) ; 591. Rubi: $ in Heather-clump at dusk on Foxhall Heath ; 596. Quercifolia : Miss Long and 1 have both had a Somerleyton larva, mine is safely in its cocoon by 9 July (R. -Lewin), found one larva on Sloe (Barcock, 19 July).â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A. P.

WALLER.

598. Paphia : two in Bentley Woods 14 July (Beaufoy), about four in Barking Wood, July (GBtn), fairly common Northfield Wood, Stowmarket (Aston) ; 599. Adippe : Redgrave Fen as in 1945, on 13 July (Btn), one very worn one in Herringfleet garden 4 Aug. (R. R. -Lewin) ; 607. C-album : as scarce as 1945 : singly in Blythbro Wood 23rd (Mly), Herringfleet garden 27th (R.-Lewin) Stonham 29th (Miss Fowler), Eentley Woods 31 March (Chipfld); Monks Soham 8 July (Mly), a little patch of glorious colour on Buddleia flower at Waldringfield the other day proved to consist of a half-dozen Commas all together, sunning themselves (Waller, 21 Aug.) ; singly at Coddenham, Barking, Needham (GBtn) Felixstow garden 25 Sept. (French). 608. Urtica : unusually scarce : singly at Hitcham 24th (Bull) and Stonham 29 March (Fowler) sparce everywhere all summer ; 609. Polychoros : in usual plenty here & increasing in southern England : 2 or 3 at exuding Oak-sap at Blocker Lane in Fritton 1945 (H. C. Steele, in lit. 20 vii 46) ; Herringfleet 19 & 27th (R. -Lewin), several at Hitcham 25th (Bull) Saxstead 26th & Framlingham 3Ist (Aston), Bentley Woods 31 March (Chipfld.), singly at Stowmarket market place 4th, Ringshall 14th, Barking 18th (GBtn) Onehouse 15 (laid 150 eggs, Chipfld), and at Stonham 26 April (Fowler) two Framlingham 4 M a y (Aston) ; one, quite fresh, in Boyton garden 26 July (F. N. Rovle-Bantr/t), another in Catfield Fen, Norfolk, 3 Aug. & a half-dozen in Blythbro Wood 4 Aug. ( M l y ) ; only one in spring, but many in July, round Leiston (Garnett); disappeared for many years from Godalming, Surrey(Latter). 610.

10 : less frequent than usual : Stonham 3 Feb. (Fowler) ; 612.

Atalatita : quite rare everywhere, half-dozen in Haiesworth garden, Aug. (Hkn) 613. Cardui : seen but singly at Ipswich, Cotton, Lackford, Mildenhall & on 16 June at Hitcham, tili 18 August by any Member ; 614. Sibylla : only about four in Barking

OBSERVATIONS

63

Wood, July (GBtn), Redgrave Fen as 1945, on 13 July (Btn), Catfield märsh, Norfolk, 3 Aug. (Mly), one in Fritton marshes 4 Aug. (R. -Lewin), on which day few lingered in Bentley Woods ; 618. Megcera : first at Hitcham 9th (Bull) & Monks Soham 11 May, rare tili 18 Aug. ; 619. Semele : unusually profuse, larvse profiting by partially fine July : flushed at every step, even in rain, on Blythbro, Blaxhall and Staverton Heaths ; 620 : Tithonus : not in unusual numbers but abundant 22 July to 1 Sept. at Monks Soham ; 622. Hyperanthus : first on 8th and abundant by 11 July ; 623. Pamphilus : unusually scarce everywhere (Mly); 627. IValbum : only once seen, when a dozen were at Privet-fll. in a Hoxne garden 13 July (Btn) ; 629. Quercus : Bentley Woods 29 July (Aston) & 10 Aug. ( G B t n ) ; 630. Phloeas : unusually sparse in Suffolk, as also in at least Cambs. & the Cotswold Hills (Buckle, in lit. 27 Aug.) ; 636. Argiolus : Stonham on Ist (Fowler), Hitcham 4th (Bull), at Hemingstone, Ashbocking, Old Newton, Cotton and frequent in gardens at Needham from 14th (GBtn) and Monks Soham from 8th April to, at the last and Lowesto^t, 7 June : second brood equally numerous, at MS. 23 July to 15 Sept. and at Staverton 27 Aug. (Mly) many young larvae found eating raspberries (Chipfld); 637. Corydon : I think the foodplant must be recovering, judging by number of imagines recently on Royston Heath, Herts (Dr. Buckle), I.e.) ; 639. oegon : common on a small heath near Foxhall, where dozens were on grass and heather, some larger than New Foresters (GBtn) ; 640. Icarus : far sparser than is usual everywhere all the year (Btn, Hkn, Mly). 647-9. Pieris spp. : all unusually scanty, commonest on Bawdsey cliff, though no definite immigration ; 644. Cardamines : first seen at Monks Soham 19th (Mly), at both Stonham (Fowler) and Cotton (GBtn) on 21st April ; 643. Rhamni: few noted : 19th at Hitcham (Bull), 26th at Stonham (Fowler), 30 March at both Newbourn garden (Dow) and Barking Tye, to 15 April at Coddenham, Hemingstone & Ashbocking (GBtn) ; 641. Edusa : eight specimens alone reported : two noted on 3 July at Claydon & Cotton (JBtn) ; one at Hitcham on 6th (Bull) & one on 23 July and one later about Leiston (Garnett) ; one $ at Mells on 5 Sept. (Hkn) ; one ^ Easton cliff 27th (Mly), one flew through my Felixstow garden on 28 July (French); I saw the most interesting sight of one laying eggs in one of my Clover-fields at about 10 a.m. on 12 July, a large speeimen and apparently perfect: fear subsequent heavy rain and hail prevented larvae surviving. Every time I have intended going to the woods for a few hours this year it has rained : a most disappointing season up to the präsent (Barcock, Drinkstone, 19 July).—C. H. S. V I N T E R .

C L O U D E D Y E L L O W S ' T A R D Y DATE.—Apart from earlier records, a small but definite immigration of Colas edusa, Fab., appeared when most collectors had retired. Single examples were noted at Hitcham (BULL) and Easton cliff (MLY) on 27th ; Needham on

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29th and Cotton (GBTN), as well as two in Frostendon lane (MRS. MORLEY), on 30 Sept. ; another at Hitcham on Ist, one near Deben at Waldringfield on 2nd ( T R E V O R W A L L E R ) , second there further inland on 4th ( H E N R Y W A L L E R ) , one near Kirton sluice on 6th (Miss W A T K I N S ) and a third at clover in Waldringfield on 8th ( C A N O N W A L L E R ) . A few days ago I saw a considerable number of Clouded Yellows in a Clover-field in this district.—GORDON DAVEY, Finches Bottom, Walsham-le-Willows ; in lit. 6 October.

I M M I G R A N T BUTTERFLIES SCARCE.—The above records plainly display the dearth of presumably immigrant species that usually leaven the indigenous Rhopalocera, mainly within ten miles of our coast-line. On 13 June, a warm day of perpetual sunshine, no air of wind and the glass above Fair, the sole species in my High Suffolk garden were Whites ! On 4 August, hot, sunny and perfect with temp. at 11 p.m. 60°, the kinds at Blythburgh Wood totalled 19 :—Adippe yet lingered on Marsh Thistle flowers, a couple of C-album, a half-dozen freshly emerged Polychloros, several Io, two worn Sibylla which is increasing here, abundant Semele on the skirting heath, one Megcsra, many Tithonus, Janira, Hyperanthus and Pamphilus, few Phlceas, one Argiolus, very sparselcarus, numerous Napi, Rapa, Brassica, Thaumas and Sylvanus.

A fortnight later the top of Bawdsey cliff, in sun and fairly stiff south breeze, showed the 4th and 7th-17th of these, excepting Semele and possibly Thaumas, with the addition of Urtica, some nine Cardui the only ones seen by me during 1946, and uncommon Linecia here where it usually abounds : 15 species, many attracted by the warintroduced Canadian Fleabane flowers. Any fond aspirations Mr. Jim Burton and I may have then fostered in our bosoms respecting Felixstow Plexippus, Aldeburgh Lathonia, Bradfield Niobe, Alderton Antiopa, Foxhall Semiargus, Felixstow Boetica, Aldeburgh Hyale, Felixstow Daplidice or Thorpness Apollo, were dashed to the ground ! — C L A U D E M O R L E Y .

A B A T H W H I T E I N S U F F O L K . — I observed a Butterfly, apparently a large and untimely $ Orange-tip, sitting upon a plant in meadows just to the south of Needham Market and near the river Gipping on 16 August last; but, after approaching to within ten feet, I quite clearly saw that it was Pieris daplidice, Linn. T o attempt a capture with no net was merely to drive it away ; so I hastened a mile home and back with my net, only to find the specimen had disappeared, nor could I see it in a two hours' search of the vicinity. Rain feil from 11.30 that night tili dusk in 17th ; and further search on 18th was fruitless.—E. W . PLATTEN ; 7 Dec. 1946. [No example has occurred during this Society's life. Only three are known in our County, which remains the species' northern British limit: singly at Newmarket on 12 August 1858, and at both Felixstowe and Aldeburgh in September 1872.—Ed.] T H E F O U R T H M I L K W E E D BUTTERFLY IN SUFFOLK.—The 19 July 1946 was distinctly warmer than the showery and rather chilly 18th, with temp. of 63° at 7 p.m. against only 58° ; there were very few

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65

showers and long sunny intervals, during one of which I was traversing Arbour Lane in Pakefield, leading from the ma.n Kessingland read eastward to the coast, with a large loam pit upon its south side. Here I saw Aying, at some distance f r o m a Buterflv that I feit certain was Anosia plexippus, Linn. (SNb. Memoir i, 1937 p 102) ; it was going across the south-westerly breeze, inlan'd from the shore. My Observation was most fortunately confirmed by a friend who, the next day and quite mdependently only just failed to net the almost doubtless same specimen, then at rest on an Elm-leaf in that lane, and at once recogmsed it from South's figure as a Milkweed. Later search in the locahty was Sitless.-Lm.nito sibylla in the town 25 J u l y C o h a s edusa, one in the town 27 Sept. and one at Oulton Broad 30th ; two spec.mens of Deilephila Livornica, one at Lowestoft on 18 July and one flymg to Privet-Aowers at Pakefield on 20th ; a few Loxostege pal a s Aying on Pakefield cliff in late June.-JACK GODDARD, Lowestoft, A T L E A S T T H R E E Vanessa AntioPa,h.-" I found a Camberwell Beauty ButterAy Aying about my greenhouse recently. It was a beautiful specimen and the colours were perfect I have never seen one outside a museum. C. A . ; The Ridge Yarmouth-road Lowestoft." To which the Editor adds that Mrs. Beare also caught a Ane specimen a few days ago in her glass-house a 2 St Aubyns-road, where she had found one last year (LOWESTOFT JOURNAL, 1 7 Aug. 1 9 4 6 .

The two latter are confirmed by the Society.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ed.) Lord Cranbrook teils me the Society will be interested to know that my husband and I watched a Camberwell Beauty in our gaxden here for twenty minutes on 28 July. It was a b^ut.fal sp^.m n rieh chocolate-brown with yellow edges and bright blue spots.

We followed it about whilst it fiew over currants and vegetables, settling every now and again with fiaunting wings, letting us come quite dose to it. Eventually at 2.30 it passed over our w a l l * an adjacent meadow. Last month I saw a Swallow Tail, more yellow and less black than books illustrate I would veryjmuch like to join the Society . - M R S . M. G. BEGG, HighAeld, Haiesworth 29 Tulv [The only other Papilio Machaon noted during 1940 n Suffolk Aew past Dr. Garnett on 15 June at three quarters of a mile north of Thorpness. The Oulton larva emerged in June, disclosing the Continental form ; but no results have been apparent: from Mrs. Waterfield's larva; at Snape (cf. Trans, v 182) - E d . l Pieris rapa, L â&#x20AC;&#x17E; P U P A T I N G I N S P R I N G . - L a s t M a r c h l d c o v e r e d an unusually pale and new-looking chrysalis of Small White, attached to a paling I had recently exammed without seeing anything of the kind, and I Aatter myself such could not have been overlooked by both myself and Birds throughout the Winten I; took it home with me ; and before the end of the month a chestnut puparium emerged that is typical of the parasitic Tachinid-Ay

27

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OBSERVATIONS

Phryxe vulgaris, Fall. From the latter in a few days came forth the imago, unfortunately too crippled, by its development liquid's absorption in cotton-wool, to be definitely determinable.

Possibly, in such an abnormal condition, the larva had been induced to hibernate in that stage ; certainly I never heard of so curious a diversion from habit before.—(COL.) BROUGHTON HAWLEY, Salisbury ; 10 M a y 1946.

Vanessa polychloros, LINN.—There was a bed of Sedum spectabile at Fritton, which on 27 September was crowded with Butterflies : at one time there were over a hundred specimens on it, mainly Vanessa Atalanta, many V.Io and V. urticce, five Colias edusa and four V.c-album, along with one V.polychloros of which a second was taken by my man's son at Thorpeness near Aldeburgh.—(Major) E . H . BUXTON ; 1 4 N o v . 1 9 4 6 .

BUTTERFLIES ATTRACTED BY L I G H T . — I

was taking mine ease with mine inbred sloth, and browsing upon Dr. E. B. Ford's New Naturalist Butterflies, in a fireside armchair at 11.30 p.m. on 24 January last: hardly had I passed " our own Peacock and Red Admiral have been observed on several occasions to fly by night, but this is exceptional " at page 70, before a shadow flitted across the book. A Moth, by George ! I cried. It settled, and I saw it was Vanessa lo, Linn., though why it should not have been disturbed from hibernation behind some piece of furniture, under just the same conditions of light and temperature, before this date is obscure. Now the temperature of the room was 63° and of the outside air 37°. Late in July 1936, on a hot night of stiff breeze, Thecla quercus, L., came to light that I was working with Mr. Frohawk and the late Mr. J. L. Moore at Pondhead in the New Forest.—CLAUDE

MORLEY.

Argynnis Adippe, L I N N (FRONTISPIECE.)—The Butterfly facing page 1 is a remarkable speeimen of gynandromorphic Highbrown Fritillary that was taken by Dr. Ford in Blythburgh Wood on 13 July 1946. My photograph of it is magnified 1J times.— SAMUEL BEAUFOY. Micro-lepidoptera have been as hard to come at as larger ones ; barely a hundred species were noted ; and the sole numerous one was Argyroploce pruniana, Hb., in the clipped Blackthorn of Monks Soham, where one Salebria formosa, Hw., flew to light on 23 July, the sole week when light was attractive. A small form of Crambus uliginosellus, ZI., no more than 17 mm. in expanse, abounded in one corner of Redgrave Fen on 13 July last; and C. Warringtonellus, Stt., came to car-lights in Pettaugh at 1 a.m. on 7 July 1945 ; it is probably very general, though recorded from only the Breck. Chilo phragmitellus, Hb., at moth-lamp beside Fritton Lake 3 Aug. last; and Schcenobius gigantellus, Schf., found during morning at Catfield marsh in Norfolk, that day.

Nomophilanoctuella, Schf., has been little rarer than Plusia gamma along our coast in Aug. from Kessingland, where it almost alone flew in numbers to 1. on Ist, to Bawdsey Cliff by day on 18th ; and

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67

Evereestis straminalis, H b . , was swept in Blythbro W o o d on 4th (Btn) Single Platyptilia pallididactyla, H w , was secured on Yarrow at Mildenhall 8 July ( G B t n ) ; and a larva of Apoda htnacodes, H f n . , taken in Bentley W o o d s 4ixl945 (Beaufoy). Several Phalonia badiana, H b . , cante in to M o n k s S o h a m 1. in late July ; and Cacorcia xylosteana, L., taken in Barking W o o d 23 June (Btn). Peronea literana, L., ' Suffolk ' in 1896 (Ent. Ree. vm, 216) • a half-dozen on very old Oak-trunks in Heveningham Park 15 M a r c h 1942 (Btn) ; one beaten f r o m Oak in Bentley W o o d s 10 Aug. last (GBtn). Eucosma fulvana, Ste., at M S . 1. on 12th, and Carcina quercana, F., on 20th there. Laspeyresia aurana b., sucked H e r a c l e u m flowers at Redgrave F e n on 1 3 t h ; and Linea semifulvella, H w . , flew in to M S . light at 11 p.m. on 5th. A pair of Anacampsispopulella, Clk., sitting on the museum-wall at 11 a.m. on 11 Aug., were new to the locality and very late in the year Plutella maculipennis, Ct., flew profusely u p o n T u d d e n h a m H e a t h on 2 J u n e . — W . R A I T - S M I T H .

M O R E ABOUT Ammophila sabulosa, L — I was tremendously interested in the account of the Fossor (Trans, v, 228), w h i c h 1 myself had been watching in 1945, rushing about with M o t h caterpillars. T h i s year I observed the same kind of Performance as that seen by M r . Burton. F o r on 8 July, in hot sun and light east air, I took a rüg out on to a sandy path here and, soon after 1 had placed myself u p o n it, noticed b u t a few inches off a t o s s o r that was hard at work excavating a hole. M y attention was called away and, when I looked again, f o u n d to m y astonishment that she was now carrying small stones to that hole and constructing a neat grave over its top, with the addition of scraps of stick. She struggled hard, several times, to move quite a fair sized stick b u t in v a i n ; and twice picked u p a bit of my rug's fringe, which could not be detached. T h e whole was a fascinating sight, one that has to be seen to be believed. At first I suppose eggs were l u d in the hole, so carefully c o v e r e d ; and doubtless a Caterpillar had been d r a w n to t h e m just before I arrived, so all was battened down at last.—Mrs. LINGWOOD, Bosmere House, Martlesham ; 17 Aug. PARASITIC H Y M E N O P T E R A . — T h e enclosed Ichneumons, and M o t h s with their cocoons, are merely by way of substantiating the parasitism of Polyclistus mansuetor on the pest Tinea pelhonella, which does so m u c h damage indoors (Trans, v, 231). T h e s e occur in only the dining-room of this house, where I have never yet discovered what damage the M o t h does [probably to underside ol carpet.—Ed.]. I wish I could see the parent I c h n e u m o n at work, b u t have never caught it at large in the room (15 Sept.).—On the chance that these Chalcids [Pteromalus sp. : not M o n o d o n t o m e r u s .

— E d 1 may be of interest, I send t h e m to you. T h i s dozen, and m a n y more, emerged f r o m a batch of seven nests of a Megachile Bee, unspeeified because none hatched. I m m s does not mention this host of Chalcids, though he instances other Bee-genera. In

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one of the nests I opened, I found that the Megachile larva had spun its cocoon but died bejfore pupating. How does the $ Chalcid manage to get at the larva ? I should have thought the wrapping of leaf-fragments would have been adequate protection : also the nests are well out-of-the-way, in wood or underground (20 May).

— O S W A L D H . LATTER ; Charterhouse Road, Godalming.

A F L Y ' S PARASITE.—Two Dipterous puparia, among many Beetles Lestiva luctuosa, Fv., were shaken on 20 May 1918 out of moss that had been taken from a mountain stream at Malham near Settie in west Yorks by Mr. J. W . Carter. They are obviously cospecific and, when dry, brick-red and rugosely punctate in a close network of interlacing ridges throughout, but more finely upon two stout, blunt and basally merged dorsal horns that recurve above the anus and two straighter ventral and widely separated ones below the anus ; the puparia are subcylindrical and slightly broader at the capital apex which ends in an obtuse boss, forming the first of the ten convex and well-discreted segments ; length 5-6 mm. From one emerged seven days later a single $ of the Anthomyiid Melanochila (Calliophrys) riparia, Fall., through a neat little circular hole in the exact disc of segments 2-3. From the other emerged upon the same 27 May a single $ of its parasite the Ichneumon Atractodes tenebricosus, Grav., by irregularly breaking away the side of segments 3-8.

FIVE ICHNEUMONS N E W TO BRITAIN.—On the Continent there is known a small group, at once recognised by its infumate band across the wing as well as by its red legs and centre of abdomen, of the Cryptine genus Hemiteles, no species of which was recognised in my 1907 ' lehn. Brit.' Bridgman's collection in Norwich Museum, however, contains one of these pretty little Insects under the obviously wrong name H. oxyphimus, Gr. ; four speeimens in Dr. Capron's Surrey collection and one in Bignell's from Devon are similarly labelled ; later I have reeeived it from Plymouth, found under Seaweed at Whitsands Bay on 10 Sept. 1907 by Mr. Keys, and myself captured it at Stony Cross in New Forest on 6 July 1908, in a sandpit at Aldeby in Norfolk on 12 M a y 1928 and at Brandon in Suffolk on 4 Aug. 1906. It is H. vicinus, Gr. A single example of the allied H. infumatus, Thoms., was found at Deal in Kent during 1907 by Mr. Donisthorpe (between 10 Aug. and 6 Sept., he teils me in lit. 23 i 1946); and of II. r u g i f e r , Thoms., at Barton Mills in Suffolk on 4 June 1928 by myself. H. fumipennis, Thoms., is recorded as British (Irish Nat. 1920, p. 19) ; and M r . Bignell, I find, took at Plymbridge in Devon on 27 May 1886 H. costatus, Thoms., which occurred to the late M r . E. C. Bedwell on 19 Aug. 1939 at Worlington in Suffolk, where I captured it on 6 Aug. 1928 at Letheringham Park.—CLAUDE MORLEY ; 20 Jan. 1946.

Tipulida IN SUFFOLK, 1 9 4 6 . — H a v i n g completed the preliminary County List of this family last year (Trans, v, 184), we have transferred collecting to more pressing groups this one, which has

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69

been peculiarly poor in all Diptera. Pales flavipalpis was taken on a window in Lowestoft in early August; P. scurra in the wettest part of Redgrave Fen on 13 July ; one $ P. lunuhcornis was sitting in a gravel trench on Blythbro Heath, 2 Sept. ; and Tipula fulvipennis Aying in Blythbro Wood on 4 Aug. (Mly). Mr. P. J. Burton who had just taken a 9 near a hill rill at Aviemore in Elgin on 20th, captured a <J of Dolichopeza albipes, Ström in Miss Buxton's garden at the northern extremity of Fntton Lakeon25th, May last (NEW to Suffolk). Limonia bifasciata came to light at the same part of the Lake on 3 Aug. ; and a dark ? was swept from long Grasses in Redgrave Fen on 6 Sept. ; L. dumetorum, both sexes were Aying commonly, sometimes Ave at once and alighting on newly-sawn stools of bicentural Oaks inside Bentley Woods in sun at noon on 8 June ; L. modesta was swept from Reeds at Buss Creek in Southwold 30 Sept. 1939, in Blythbro Wood in 1940 (& by Windermere Lake, Westmorland, June 1937); L. sera was beaten from Sallow on Blythbro Heath 20 Sept. 1939 and abundant, often in cop., that month in Southwold salterns ; Hehus flavus was again captured over the shady rill at Bentley Woods at dull noon of 8 June • H. pallidirostris Aew in to lamp on Monks Soham dinner-table at 7.30 dusk on 14 Aug. 1945 : a peculiarly active species ; Limnophila nemoralis came to Frostenden sugar at 9 p.m.

20 Sept., and occurred in Southwold salterns 23-8 Sept., 1939 (Mly). A beautiful pair of Lipsothrix ecuculata, Edw. (NEW to Sufolk) were swept in cop. from mixed herbage on the Bentley Wood railway-bank at noon 8 June (Btn). Erioptera stictica was sitting with the Beetle Elaphrus riparius, L., on mud of Easton cliff pond 14 May 1939 ; and Aew profusely to moth-lamp on Kessingland coast-denes at 11 p.m., 1 Aug. last; Ormosia hederce was Aying in Monks Soham hedge 18 J u n e ; and Molophilus ochraceus swept in Redgrave Fen on 6 Sept. (Mly). Hence 153 species of Tipulidse are now known in Suffolk.—MELVILLE HOCKEN. , . .

F T INSECTS ON SHINGLE.—Few less favourable situations for Insects

can be imagined than the bare ridge (much erosed along it seaward side since 1939) of shingle, with a narrow tar-marred Aank ot saltmarsh on its western edge, that alone now marks the erstwhile hamlet of Slaughden and divides the last ten miles of the River Aid from the sea. With the stiff southerly breeze that blew on 22 August last, the only shelter was afforded by the north side ot a boatbuilder's shed rising directly from this shingle. On it were sitting the Moth Hadena literosa, Hw., many of the Gnat Chironomus nigriviridis, auct., some of the biting Gnat Culex htoreus, Shut a few of both the Daddy Erioptera stictica, Mg. and the marsh Fly Caricea tigrina, F., with a female Phorbia and two or three Psila gracilis, Mg. The number of British Insects that are truly marine IS extremely small; it has been given as the too restricted 2 of Gosse's Manual of Marine Zoology, and the too liberal 143 of the 1931 Plymouth Marine Fauna which includes all coast-

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OBSERVATION3

sandhill species. Unless one confine them to kinds actually living solely in entirely salt-water, it is impossible to draw the line : of these no more than the Gnats Clunio marinus, Hai. (not yet found in Suffolk) and Thalassomyia Frauenfeldi, Schin. (Trans, i, 212), jump to mind.—CLAUDE MORLEY. Düring 1946 I discovered a very populous colony of the Moth Odezia atrata, L., at Whipsnade ; and have to report the continued increase of Vanessa polychloros, L., at Walton-on-Naze, where the most intersting event among Birds was the Autumn advent of some forty Bombycilla garrulus, L., and among Fishes the capture of several Salmo Trutta, L., [Trans, ii, 119] in sein-nets on the beach at night.—J. N O E L BLYTH. A N O F F - S H O R E T U R B O T . — A 9J-pounds specimen of Rhombus maximus, L., was hooked off Felixstow beach, opposite the Regal Cafe on 24 May last, by a line baited with Lugworm. Its identification was verified by Mr. W. F. Peck, who could not remember previous landings at that beach.—LOCAL PAPER. [In spring the species is usually trawled, but warm weather drives the Fish to deeper waters with rougher bottom, where they are or used to be taken on many-hooked lines baited with Smelt or Gorebill, in fact any small Fish that is long-lived on the hook. Its natural food also includes both Mollusca and Crustacea ; and they spawn in August. The present example though large is hardly remarkable, since the normal weight varies from five to ten pounds, rarely attaining twenty or more. T h e main point is that, at least in Summer, it is a deep-sea swimmer and rarely approaches the Suffolk shallows : recorded (Trans, ii, 116) off Southwold, Lowestoft including Lake Lothing, and Gorleston.—Ed.] SALMON IN SUFFOLK FENS.—A Bury St. Edmunds angler received a surprise at Lakenheath on 27 October, while fishing for Pike with a home-made Spinner. His line suddunly tautened as he hooked a large Fish, which put up a grand fight, and not until it was well-nigh dead could it be landed. It was then found to be a 10g-lb. ' hen ' salmon ; and it must have negociated both Denver and Feltwell sluices in order to reach Lakenheath. Local anglers are still talking of the remarkable catch, for never before has any Salmon been known to come into Fen waters (Bury Free Press, 8 Nov. 1946). Nor has this Society knowledge of such an occurrence of Salmosalar, L. (Trans, ii, 118 ; iii, 201). The Fishing Gazette of 11 January 1947 puts the weight at lOf-lbs. ; and adds that a report on scale shows the Fish to have spent two years in the river and then two more complete ones in the sea ; so it was a small fish in April, 1942.—C. C. T . G I L E S .

POOR SEA FISHING.—This autumn the usual fishing from the pier and beach at Southwold is about ninety per centum below its normal success, I should consider. There have been, however, a goodly number of Pilchards, Clupea Pilcardus, Art., taken in the drift nets, occasionally in greater quantities than the Herrings,

OBSERVATIONS

711 '

C. harengus, L., which are usually there, of course I have not seen or heard of, an Anchovy Engraulis encrasicholus, L ) having been taken lately ; and this is stränge, because they bree,d J ^ t ac'oss the way on the Dutch coast.-DuoLEY W COLLINS ; 12 Nov. 1946 CONCHOLOGICAL NOTES OF 1946.-In July my Father and I found the Roman Snail, Helix pomatia, L„ still in the Blakenham Parva chalk-pit (Trans, v, 2 3 8 ) . GEOF B U R T O N . - A c a s u a sweeping at Dernford Fen in Cambs recently gave meHJTnchia) hispida, L. ; and this year I found a pleasing colony of H. aspersa Müll., var. exalbida, Menk., just west of Linton in Cambs. Dr. W. F. B U C K L E ; 27 August. , . . „„ 14.

T H E AVIAN YEAR OPES.—Robins were heard singing on 1+ January; Green Woodpeckers tapping on 1 Februar)r Owls hooting on 13th, and Woodpigeons cooing on 16th ; BJackbtrd was singing in the «>ld rain of 4 March ; a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker seen tapping on lOth and heard drummmg on 17th ; Bats and a Barn 0^1 were Aying on 26 March.-Miss ELAINE M. FOWLER, Stonham Lodge, near Stowmarket; 1 May. The nest of a Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, L„ was discovered containing four eggs, on 2 February 1946.

Supposmg; it migh be one deserted last spring, I have just been to Visit it and find it to contain seven quite fresh eggs now. It is over the small pond, and about 2\ inches above the water, in an orchard at Buxhall safely shrouded in a thick bush. I have never before known so early a nest of this Bird.-(The Revd.) H. COPINGER H I L L 1 March. [Ticehurst considered 18 March an early date.—bd.j I was Standing in the Hitcham garden, talking to my Mother, on 31 March when suddenly I heard it; it stopped then recurred " Strewth, a Wiüow Warbier ! " I cried ; and left, at a run, my Mother wondering. Along the road, across a meadow and 1 listened again, once more the call came to me and I pursued it tili finally I caught sight of him, with his beautiful ohve-green plumage glittering in the sun. My notebook gave the date, whereat I scratched my head : and went home to consult

Ticehurst,

wherdiTl confirmed my belief that he had but three M - c h records of the species ; and, curiously, I heard a second later the same morning. Then I went for a three-quarters of an hour s walk and in that time found a Song Thrush sitting, along with six Thrushis and Blackbirds' nests being constructed, apart from one ol the latter's already known to contain eggs and three being bullt. 1 hen a Woodpecker tapped ; but, before I could locate it, a white_ rump Aying alongside the hedge distracted my attention. When it alighted, some twenty yards off, I raised my binocu ar and saw, also, a double chestnut and a white wing bar, as well as all characteristics of a $ Bramblmg ! After a few minutes it Aew on, and with it went three similar Birds though whether these, too were Bramblings I could not teil. Here I had seen a c? this time last year for a few brief seconds, otherwise the species is

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OBSERVATIONS

new to me. Finally I had the best view ever obtained of a $ Lesserspotted Woodpecker, which was holeing a dead tree and utterly ignored my presence. Yesterday Blackthorn came into flower.— A L W Y N BULL ; 31 March.

On 21 April I met a friend at Colchester and with him went to Abberton Reservoir ; arrival Birds there and there-around were Sand Martin, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail and my very first Wheatear, an elegant $ : also my first Common Bunting, apparently fairly frequent in that district. But the star turn of the day came when we detected a small Bird that was quickly recognised, in perfect light, as a Q Blue-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava, L. : neither of us had realised before how blue its head could be !

A Heronry was descried near Peldon church ; and later I caught, by casting my coat over its head, a Great-crested Grebe, which was on the bank and bit my coat though not me ! It appeared injured, but no broken bones were discoverable and, in the examination, its great fatness and weight surprised me : I released it.—Id ; 26 April.

Robins' nest of five eggs found on a sheltered bank, 19 February ; lusty brood of four young Song Thrushes noticed, 20 March ; early Chaffinches nest seen, 4 April; Kingfisher and Moorhen nesting, 9th ; Sedge Warbier and Reed Warbier appeared, lOth : all near Ipswich. At Walberswick on 17 May a colony of some thirty pairs of Heron was nest-building, and perhaps one or two had already laid eggs, in the tops of Scots Pines.—GEORGE BIRD. S P R I N G ADVENTS, 1946.—Of the Grey Linnet Acanthis cannabina, L., a 1945 nest was found on 27 April 1946 at Shelford Parva, Cambs (Dr. Buckle). Reed Bunting seen at Ipswich, 23 March (Bird). Tree Pipit at Hitcham 13 April (Alwyn Bull). Whitethroat at Martlesham Creek 19 April (Mrs. Lingwood).. Willow Warbier at Ipswich on 26 March (Bird), Hitcham (Bull) and Chelmondiston (W. M. Morfey) on 31 March, Martlesham (Mrs. Lingwood) and near Woodbridge (Mr. George Fox) on 1 April. Chiffchaff at Stonham on 18 March (Miss Fowler), Ipswich 23rd (Bird), Hitcham 24th (Bull), Monks Soham House garden 27th (Miss Nita Creasey), Ipswich 29th (Morfey), Shelford Parva in Cambs 30th (Buckle), Haughley 1 April (White) & Martlesham Creek on 10 April (Lingwood). Nightingale at Martlesham at 4.30 a.m. on 5 & 6 April (Lingwood), Monks Soham paddock 14 & 15th, but did not stay there as they did and nested 1944 though not heard at all 1945 (Mly) ; Stonham 17 April (Fowler). Wheatear at Ipswich 23 March (Bird), Kesgrave 3Ist (Morfey). Stvallow at Pin-mill 27 March (Master David Dow), Bourn Lake in Ipswich 4 April (Bird), two at Benacre 5th (Fox), one at Shelford Parva in Cambs on 8th and no more that month (Buckle). Three young ones at Thorpness on 8 Nov. 1945 (Garnett). " A pure white Swallow " was resting on telegraph-wires at Ballingdon in Sudbury for

OBSERVATIONS

73

several days before 10 Sept. 1945 (Local Paper). House Martin at Bourn Lake in Ipswich 4 April (Bird), Hitcham 13th (Bull).

Sand Martin at Shelford in Cambs 7 April (Buckle).

Whitefronted Goose : it is many years since I noticed such large movements as passed high and northwards over Ipswich on 12 March and two or three next days (Bird). Redshanks were back in Burwell Fen [1 mile over our W . border—Ed.] at their 1944 site by the end of March this year (Dr. Buckle). Turtle Doves came to Waldringfield Rectory garden on 16 April, ' the earliest date by far I ever remember : they must have been first arrivals and 'gone on, for I saw no more tili 28th. I hope to retire at the beginning of next year ' (Canon A. P. Waller). Cnckoo mistaken for Sparrow Hawk and shot at Nacton 23 March (Bird); heard at Martlesham 12 April (Lingwood), Hitcham 13th (Bull), Bedingfield and Brundish 14th (Mly), Stonham 15th (Fowler), Monks Soham 16th (Mly).

Chiff-chaff was first heard and seen at Hitcham on 24 March ( A L W Y N BULL). Cuckoo, Chiff-chaff and Nightingale were all fully a week earlier in Cornwall than Suffolk (Mrs. Wyn Hocken, v.v. 18 April).

CUCKOO IN W A G T A I L ' S NEST.—A Pied Wagtail's nest was shown me on 24 July last, that was built inside a Rabbits' hutch on flat lead roof of Northgate girls' school in Ipswich. The hutch had long fallen into desuetude ; its fronting door was shut, but the wire netting of it was bent down and left an aperture. Through this the Wagtail had entered, passed over a raised partition, and nested in the dark corner flanking the door. How an adult Cuckoo entered is a mystery, for none was seen by the local folk, all well aware of the Wagtail's presence. The young Cuckoo I was able to photograph, as it came into sunlight when I opened the wire door ; and, as soon as the Wagtail called, it took its first flight over t h e h o u s e - t o p . — G E O R G E BIRD.

ECONOMY OF Corvus corax, L.—We no longer see Ravens in Suffolk ; but, during the last week of March 1945, I had the luck to watch their courtship in Westmorland. M y companion and I were on the 2863-feet top of Fairfield near the Cumberland border, whence as we looked towards Helvellyn three Ravens were discernible, Aying towards us. One of them seemed to drop away after a while, or be left behind by the other two, and was no more seen. As the pair came overhead, the o began a mad series of twists and turns over and about the $ ; then he came darting down and seemed to repeatedly kiss her with his beak. Each time this happened, the $ gave a sharp cry like ' kwark ' or ' kruk ' : so the game went on for some minutes directly above us, tili the pair drifted away and gradually disappeared in the distance. As a rule, I am told, such courtship-displays take place near the nest, but in this case we could not divine where the nest was situated ; and we could do no more than guess that, as Ravens mate for life, this was a first courtship and the third Bird had been an intruder whose Company was regarded as superfluous.—W. ROWI.EY ELLISTON.

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OBSERVATIONS

NORTH WALES O B S E R V A T I O N S . — T h e 1 2 - 2 6 August this year was too late a period for nests. Gulls at populär coast resorts are evidently feeling our bread-shortage. Inland Birds were scarce : Carrion Crows, Jackdaws and Rooks were seen ; Robins and Wrens heard ; but, though some days were spent over the Berwyn Mountains, no Hawk or Falcon or Raven was observable.

Weather was kind and none too h o t ; and I enjoyed our first for six years sojourn from Ipswich.—GEORGE BIRD. Pica rustica, Scop., IN W A R T I M E . — I cannot recall ever having seen a Magpie in Suffolk ; but, directly I have crossed the Stour

by Bures-bridge into Essex, I am almost certain to observe at least a half-dozen along the road thence to Pebmarsh : a fact whose explanation has always puzzled me. Düring the earlier German War,these Birds seemed to be the most numerous sort on the bare slopes of Picardy ; and, in the severe winter of 1917-8, they became very tarne round our camps. One individual, in particular, never left our camp's neighbourhood. He had the habit of waiting for cars to arrive and, as soon as one drew up, he would take his seat upon the warm bonnet and remain there until it was driven away.—W. ROWLEY ELLISTON. A RINGED Cardulis elegans, STE.—A white aluminium ring, four mm. in length and in diameter, inscribed ' 38 ' under a transverse ' 7', was found upon the leg of a small and apparently illnourished Q Goldfinch, that was slain by a Cat in the garden of a Hatfield-road house at Ipswich on 20 May last. T h e Bird's exhausted condition suggests it to have recently flown a considerable distance.—MRS. M . G. BEASLEY ; 27 May. [A letter from us, in the Local Paper of 1 June, elicited no explanation of the cryptograph.—-Ed.] CURIOUSLY COLOURED $ Pyrrhula vulgaris, TEM.—The most weird Bird I have ever seen occasionally comes to our garden here, frequenting the Apple-trees. It is the consort of a $ Bullfinch, and is of a light grey with the head no more than very slightly bluer and by no means the normal blue-black, though both wingand tail- feathers are quite black. I have had excellent views of it through glasses, and two neighbours have confirmed its peculiarity, for its whole dorsal region from crown to rump is so conspicuously pale as to appear entirely white at a distance and much puzzled me at first.—(Mrs.) LINGWOOD, Martlesham; 13May 1 9 4 6 .

W A N T O N SLAUGHTER OF Bombycilla garrulus, L.—Today I received a Waxwing that had been locally shot, but by whom I do not know. I wish I did, as I should like to inform the police. T h e sex was indeterminable as the necessary organs had been damaged in its destruction ; but, since it had only four ' wax ' tips on each wing, I presume it to be a $. CRANBROOK ; Great G l e m h a m ; 2 1 March 1 9 4 6 . — A flock of fifteen arrived on 2 4 Dec. 1 9 4 5 and haunted the Aldringham roads for well-nigh a week (The Field).

OBSERVATIONS M O R E ACCURSED P O T - G U N N E R S . — A n aristocrat of the Birdworld the Hoopoe which is about the size of the Sterling with black-and-white b a n d e d wings, long and curved beak, pinkishbrown plumage and a long black-tipped crest, still occasionally Visits East Anglia. T h i s spring Hoopoes have been seen in two or more east Suffolk parishes : it is greatly to be desired that these beautiful visitors should be unmolested and it is, of ccmrse, illegal to kill any protected species. T h e Hoopoe is mainly a ground feeder, its food consisting chiefly of insect larv® (Local Paper, 16 M a y 1946).—With the deepest disgust I heard f r o m an U r m thologist in Ipswich of the shooting of two Upupa epops, Linn., in Suffolk : a sad commentary on our present civihsation and the British love of N a t u r e that, no sooner does a r a r e Bird-visitor appear, causes it to be shot by a fool with a g u n ! T h e H o o p o e is insectivorous and eradicates many destructive pests ; it does no h a r m to fruit or vegetables. T h i s species is protected t h r o u g h o u t the year in east Suffolk ; an illegal act has been committed ; it is to be sincerely h o p e d that local opinion will be roused to prevent a repetition of such regrettable incidents. R P. Donaldson See. R Soc. Protect. Birds ; 82 Victoria Street, S . W . 1 (loc. cit. 18 M a y ) —Pity indeed, it is that folk possess so little decent ieeling that they m u s t needs go and destroy anything ' new and stränge , merely to find out w h a t it is ! T h e r e was quite a s m i l l Immigration of this species into Suffolk last May, as I know f r o m the n u m b e r of villages (Witnesham, Henley, Crowfield, &c, to north of Ipswich) wherein they were observed ; b u t I did not have the luck to see any alive myself. I did, however, examine one ol the potted Hoopoes ; and the fellow who slew it was, laus D e o already becoming considerably perturbed about his illegal act, and should have been m a d e to suffer ; but, as I understood that a prosecution would have involved other individuals and a close friendship, 1 was weak enough to let the matter drop ! [Condonation m y dear W a t s o n : what ?—Ed.] T h e r e are many reasons to believe that, if left undisturbed, Hoopoes would persist with us in Suffolk : a t the l e a s t , they are by no means timid and entirely innoeuous.

M . B . O . U . — M r . Paxton Chadwick told m e he had seen a pair of Hoopoes thrice this year at Sizewell: a reliable observer, but without corroboration (DR. GARNETT).—None were actually recorded in Norfolk tili Sept., when a family of several Hoopoes were noted at a Stiffkey farm on 15 S e p t e m b e r . A n d a halfdozen Golden Orioles came in on spring migration, of which a cock remained at M e r t o n tili at least 20 Sept. possibly along with a $.

E . A . ELLIS, i n l i t . ,

25

Sept.—I

am

able to a d d to

the

above records the fact that, at Cotton on 26 April last, I plainly saw a H o o p o e fly f r o m an Elm-tree into an adjacent Oak. I had no idea what the Bird was at t h e time, b u t I obtained an excellent view of its crest a n d peculiar markings, leaving no subsequent:

76

OBSERVATIONS

doubt of its identity. Also there in April was a specimen of the Great Woodpecker, Dryobates major, L . — J O H N BURTON, v.v.; 2 June, 1946.

ANOTHER Q U A I L . — A specimen of Coturnix communis, Bon., was seen and heard by me on our farm at Hitcham on 9 June.

My soldier cousin was with me at the time but, though he heard it take flight, he was not in a position to see the bird. I stalked it through some short Barley, with the wind in my favour ; and managed to approach within fifteen yards of it when, like a small Partridge, it very abruptly took flight. T h e constantly repeated call was like a wheezy kuree, audible at no more than fifty yards ; and then qwik-qwikik-qwikik-qwik qwikik, repeated four or five times and audible for four to six hundred yards.—ALWYN BULL, 13 Sept. [This call can hardly be squared with that given by Stanley Morris in ' Bird Song,' pp. 121-2.—Ed.] In a letter to the Ipswich daily paper, our late President records that, since 1903, a Pelican came in from the sea and alighted on Breydon Water, allowing Mr. Patterson to sketch i t ; a Flamingo was shot near Woodbridge and was now in Norwich Museum [what was the Ipswich one about ?] ; and there was a remarkable Visitation of Crossbills during 1909-10.—" JULIAN G. T U C K , Tostock Rectory, 14 April 1912."

SOME LOWESTOFT BIRDS OF 1946.—For the first time upon record a colony of Wood Larks Lullula arborea, L., spent the spring and summer on the North Denes. I discovered them first about 15 May and eventually located at least three pairs, two of which we were able to watch only from a distance for fear of a mined-area.

One pair's nest, found by M r . E. Andrew on 31 May, contained five almost fully grown young who entirely filled i t ; and when, the following morning we watched, the parents were calling them together while they successively vacated the nest. All young were satisfactorily reared ; and, a week or two later, I counted thirteen Wood Larks in that area, though undoubtedly others existed inside the danger zone. While searching the south beach tide-line on 24 Oktober, I picked up a minute bunch of sodden feathers, which I supposed to be a Goldcrest, Regulus cristatus, Kch. It remained almost forgotten in my pocket for several hours and, by the evening, had begun to dry. Then I clearly recognised in it the distinguishing features of a Firecrest, R. ignicapillus, Tem. It was in a fairly fresh condition fortunately, and I have been enabled to preserve what proved, upon dissection, to be a male in füll adult plumage.

Besides those in Ticehurst (Birds Suff. 1932, 115), I observed a specimen at Lowestoft in October, 1925 ; M r . E. C. Jenner saw one some years ago at St. Olaves ; and the one that was killed by striking a pylon, near the electricity works at South Quay in Yarmouth during May 1933, narrowly escaped being a Suffolk record. [Cf. Trans, i, 165—Ed.]

OBSERVATIONS

77

Towards the end of March, seven Waxwings, Bombycilla garrulus, L., were reported as seen near Dell-road in Lowestoft.— Of late years nesting Chiff-chaffs, Phylloscopus collybita, Vie., have decidedly increased around Lowestoft. It was regarded as a scarce species at one time ; but in 1946 we located four pairs in one Corton wood, and were aware of others in at least a half-dozen more places within this borough—House Martins, Delichon urbica, L., arrived here earlier in the spring than I have ever known before : four were observed Aying over Oulton Broad on 31 March.

One pair at Pakefield were still feeding young in the nest as late as 13 October.—A Heron, Ardea cinerea, L., that was seen Aying from east to west, high over the coast on 4 October, undoubtedly was a migrant from the Continent.—Five purple Sandpipers, Erolia maritima, Brün., frequented the weed-grown breakwaters at Pakefield during early February.

Mr. Jenner and I identified a Kentish Plover, Charadrius Alexandrinus, L., upon a Breydon mud-fiat on 12 May. In a search for local information upon this species, I came across an article that was written by Mr. Henry Stevenson in 1882, wherein he mentions that a Mr. Barton saw a number of these plovers about the margin of a brackish pool on the north beach near the fishing-pier at Lowestoft during September 1882 ; one of them, eventually shot by a local gunner, proved their identity. T h e fact that this Breydon example is the sole one I have ever observed illustratea how rare now this little Plover has become.—FRED C. COOK. GREEN SAND-PIPERS, which species was thought to have nested at the Bourn Park sanctuary in Ipswich during 1945 (Proc. supra v, p. lxxxviii), did not return there in the course of the present season until la'te in July : so hopes of their establishment are again deferred.—Along the Dunwich estuary on 17 May last, about a dozen pairs of Oyster-catchers seemed settled, though I did not search for their eggs. Along the Havergate shingle-ridge a fair number of Common Terns, Lesser Terns and Ringed Plovers were busy nesting ; and I believe some Turn-stones also were there, but could not investigate for military reasons. Dabchicks were busy, and at least one pair of several I had under Observation hatched three broods, how successfully I cannot teil. A pair of Swans on 6 April were incubating a clutch of eight eggs, due to emerge on about 9th : some dastardly rascals, after driving off the Birds with balks of timber, on 7th robbed the nest. However, by 22nd the parents had again established themselves with a clutch of five eggs and these I carefully guarded with barbed-wire. Thence four' cygnets had hatched by 9 July, which is an unusually long period though incubation appeared continuous—It was a sorry sight along Shingle-street beach in Hollesley to see the washed-up dead Guillemots, covered with black oil; to find this mess had seeped through the stones to shorewards back-waters ; and that such wildfowl as Waders and Duck were being there senously

78

OBSERVATIONS

affected. So prevalent was the filthy oil that the storms of even this objectionable year must fail to dear away the mess (GEORGE BIRD).—A pair of Spoon-bills were first observed on the DunwichWalberswick marshes on 28 July. They persisted there tili at least 25 August, mainly frequenting the southern extremity after 16 August. In the latter, more restricted, area has also been a young Marsh Harrier ; and Montague Harriers, Circus pygargus, L. (Trans, v, 244) have again appeared in the Leiston district ( D R . GARNETT, 30 Aug.).

Cothurnix communis, Bon., N O T SHOT AT E D W A R D S T O N E . — I have just heard of a Quail being seen and shot at and, thank Goodness, missed at Edwardstone in Suffolk on, I believe, 6 October 1945

by Colonel Corry ; but I hope to obtain fuller detads from the Colonel's agent in a few days and will forward them to you.

— C H A R L E S H . ROW, Long Melford ; 2 9 January 1 9 4 6 .

Another Quail was unfortunately killed by Mr. Whitlock in a Partridgedrive at Toppesfield near Yeldham Magna in Essex on 6 January 1946. T h e body was in good condition and sent to the Field paper. [No fuller details have since been reeeived from our Member. T h e Edwardstone specimen's immediate certain predecessor died at Trimley (Trans, iii, 213).—Ed.] SEAGULLS EATING FLYING INSECTS.—A large number of Seagulls [? Larus ridibundus, L.] were feeding about 10 July on some meadows of mine, which were flooded. On two or three successive evenings nearly one hundred cf them flew over this house and hunted the Elm-trees here, just before dark. As far as I could see they were after Moths or June-bugs [Rhizotrogus solstitialis, L.], of which there had been a considerable hatch that week. I did not know Seagulls were in the habit of taking Moths or any flying Insects.—CHARLES BUNBURY [Bart.], Naunton Hall, Rendlesham ; 23 July. [Moths and Flies but mainly Beetles were found to form the staple food of this Gull by Collings.—Ed.] BAT'S EXTENDED DISTRIBUTION.—There has just been brought for my inspection a live example of the Barbastelle Bat. It had been found upon the floor of a farm building at Hop ton to the north of Lowestoft by M r . H. Jenner. I hope the occurrence is not too late for this year's Transactions.—F. C. COOK ; 27 Nov. 1946.

[Suffolk records are few and extend only from Glemham Parva to Corton, where it was captured in flight by Dr. Ticehurst, who regarded its local distribution as doubtful (Trans, ii, p. 15).

Synotus, i.e. joined ears, barbastellus, Sch., is inches in length against the Common Bat's 3, and is very easily recognised by the basally grown together ears being externally produced so far over the muzzle as to include the eyes in their circuit. At Hopton it must be indeed rare to have escaped the notice of our late Gorleston Members, M M . Doughty, Moore, Wiltshire, Ellis, etc. Further south Mr. Platten, and even perhaps Mr. Engleheart, could not have overlooked so conspicuous a beastiole.—Ed.]

OBSERVATIONS

79

In or about 1912 our late Member wrote to the Field :—" Many years ago I had a tarne weasel [Mustela nivalis, L.], which lived for about eighteen months. Also, in June, 1908, I obtained one about two weeks old from a nest which I reared and kept until 24 Dec. 1911, when it died, apparently from paralysis of its hindquarters : judging from the teeth, it did not die of old age. I have seen several dead ones, with the teeth very much more worn. In 1908 and 1909 I sent two Weasels to the Zoological Society, but fear they did not live long.—C. F. CATTLE, Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds.." " W H I T E SEAL " (OF COURSE !) SHOT.—A Seal, thus described and presumed an albinistic form of the common Phoca vitulina, L., weighing circa four stones, was shot on the beach at Thorpness, just north of Aldeburgh, during the evening of 1 April 1946 (Local Paper). One regrets the inadequate identification, for the now very rare Grey Seal Halichaerus gryphus, Fab., has been noted in Breydon Water in the past (Trans, ii, 29).—Ed. Mustela erminea, L., AT PLAY.—At Darmsden on the evening of 8 August last, my father and I watched five Stoats engaged in friendly duels. Four of them at once tussled in pairs, rolled over in a clinch, jumped up and postured most amusingly. As soon as that combat ceased, one began to zigzag affectedly along the track they had selected for their revels. And, after a further similar exhibition of gymnastics, the mock fight was repeated. We continued to witness this fine display for fully twenty minutes, and then regretfully left them to pursue their rollicking fun alone.— GEOFFREY BURTON. [No cherchez la femme motive is suggested, though such is not at all improbable where two or three are gathered together.—Ed.] FERAL Cervus Dama, L I N N . , AT B E N T L E Y . — I caught a glimpse of a buck Fallow Deer in the Woods at Bentley on 13 April last; and on 27th discovered a shed antler of that species alongside a fallen tree in the marsh just outside the same woods.—SAM. BEAUFOY, 22 Sept.

Meies taxus, SCHREB., IN EAST SUFFOLK.—While traversing a wood not very far from Needham Market on 30 March 1946 I noticed a slot that I strongly suspected to have been left by a Badger. So, a week later, I made a point of visiting the spot again ; and, after a patient vigil of an hour or two in the dark, had the satisfaction of obtaining an excellent view of the Animal in the ray of my unusually strong electric torch as he passed along the same track. We gazed at each other for several minutes, then he trundled off upon his way and I went home, with a valuable Observation in mind.—JOHN BURTON, V.V. ; 2 June.

O U R BADGERS.—I am writing to remind you that the Society's annual cheque, for the Preservation of the Badgers here, is now due [duly despatched—Hon. Treasurer]. My son saw the usual sight of a young Badger and a family of Foxes all playing together iri

80

OBSERVATIONS

the field near this house one evening last spring. He also happened to observe another young Badger last Friday (18th) night, running through the trees at their earth in the moonlight, in spite of the cold weather.—Mrs. R. S. HARRIS ; 24 Jan. 1946. This satisfactorily shows Meies taxus to persist in its sole-known permanent Suffolk locality near our southern border ; though not indicating any increase or decline in the strength of the colony.—Ed.

Concerning his new British Noctua, Sedina Büttneri (Trans, supra. v, 208) and an equally novel Geometer he has discovered (EMM. viii; p. 29) also at Freshwater in I. Wight, our member Dr. Blair writes thence on 2 November last:—The former " duly turned up again this year, first and last dates exactly the same as in 1945, but the weather during its period was cold and windy and by no means propitious. I got only four myself though other men, working in the actual marsh with lights, took more. I hope they do not work it too hard and so exterminate the beast, now that it has nicely settled as a fairly obviously established breeding species.

This year has provided another novelty, i.e., the south European Cosymbia [Leucophthalmia] pupillaria, Hübn,. not unlike our C. porata. It was found fluttering against my scullery window on 2 October evening ; so, being a it was kept for eggs, and now I have some young larvae nicely feeding on Myrtle, of which I have a bush but a few yards from the said window and two more are in the next garden. This is another puzzle for you : Was it an immigrant from the south of France, or was it bred locally ?

From its perfect and fresh condition, I strongly favour the latter supposition ; and, if so, did its forebear arrive last year with so many other immigrants, or could it have been introduced from the Mediterranean with garden shrubs, which must have happened before the 1939 war ? I have failed to hear of such an introduction ; and, in any case, she appeared to be quite freshly emerged, yet had succeeded in finding a mate ! I do not feel quite so confident in this instance, of hearing more of the species as I did in the case of S. Büttneri above."