Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 4 (1846).djvu/346

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Insects.

ing time, appears to be very short ; the first specimens, not approaching the flowers un- til quite at dusk, and all deserting the plants in about ten, or at the utmost fifteen mi- nutes. For greater certainty upon this point, after the darkness became too great, to allow them to be seen with any certainty, a lantern was upon two or three occasions, placed at a sufficient distance from the plants, to have enabled any new comers to be seen, without producing sufficient light upon and about their feeding ground, to scare them away : but after the near approach of darkness, they appeared to have wholly abandoned their feeding. They may perhaps again resort to the flowers at twilight in the morning, but whether such be the fact, or not, I did not attempt to ascertain. The bee hawk-moth feeds twice in the day, at ten in the morning, and again between three and four o'clock in the afternoon. Had the plants been visited every evening, (which was not the case) I have no doubt that double the above-mentioned number might have been taken. From the fact that (within my own knowledge) this scarce moth has dur- ing the present season appeared in several localities widely distant from each other, I am induced to believe that its occurrence must have been unusually general. In the last week in August, I took a male specimen at Ventnor, in the Isle of Wight ; at about the same period a specimen was taken at Hastings ; and three were captured at about the same time, by a young entomological friend at Worthing. I have a beauti- ful female specimen of this moth, which was taken in my own garden at Blackheath, in perfect condition, on the 4th of June, 1832. — N.B. Engleheart ; Blackheath, September 24th, 1846.

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli at Leyton, Essex. — During the first week of last September, four specimens of the Sphinx Convolvuli, (the Convolvulus hawk-moth) at- tracted by the light into a conservatory adjoining the house, were captured at Knott's Green, Leyton, Essex. — J. Gurney Barclay; Walthamstow, Oct. 3rd, 1846.

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli near Yarmouth. — A large number of this moth have been taken near Yarmouth this autumn. — George Fitt; Yarmouth, October 6th, 1846.

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli near Redcar. — Two specimens of Sphinx Con- volvuli have occurred at Redcar this autumn. — T.S. Rudd; Redcar, October 5th, 1846.

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli at Hackney. — This rare insect has made its ap- pearance rather abundantly this season in the neighbourhood of Hackney ; upwards of twenty specimens have been taken, most of them I am sorry to say, by persons not acquainted with entomology.—H.J. Harding; 1, York Street, Church Street, Shoreditch, October 6th, 1846.

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli near Uppingham.—Among other places, Upping- ham may be recorded as one where Sphinx Convolvuli has appeared this summer. Two were taken on the 19th of August, and one a few days afterwards. I myself saw a fourth (on the wing) : and from the descriptions I have heard, there seems little doubt that several more were seen. — William Turner; Uppingham, October 6th, 1846.

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli at Brislington. — A female specimen of this Sphinx was captured here on the window frame of a hot-house ; it was in fair condi- tion. — J. Sircom, Jun., Brislington, October 1st, 1846.

Occurrence of Sphinx Convolvuli at Chipping Norton. — A specimen was brought to me early in September, by a person who found it settled on some wearing apparel left out to dry, bringing it a distance of three miles wrapped in paper, which considerably