Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/261

 INSECTS was taken on the window of the lecture room at Liskeard in March, 1901. M. mimosa appears to be very local, but on rare occasions extraordinarily abundant about the lower reaches of the Lynher. M. pulverulenta and M. munda are often common in the east by the second or third week in March, but are evidently scarce in the middle and west. M. gothica is widespread and on the whole common. Charaeas graminis in the larval stage was abundant near Altarnun in May and June, 1899. On the wing it has been taken on Whitsand cliffs and near St. Burian. Neuronia popularis is widespread and common. Panolh pinipcrda is sparingly distributed along the southern half of the county and is fairly common at Godolphin. Harmodia nana is local and scarce along the south, but at times common at Scilly. Four specimens of H. luteago var. Barrettii were taken by Ficklin near Land's End in 1897 and four more in 1898. H. carpophaga was found by Reading at Whitsand Bay East, and has been taken at intervals along the coast as far as the Lizard. H. cucubali is thinly diffused along the south, and evidently local ; stray specimens are occasionally found inland. Melanchra cespitis and M. retkulata are rare and local. Both have been taken about Mount Edgcumbe and by the Lynher. The former is recorded from Scilly and the latter from Bodmin and Falmouth. M. serena is local and in places common along the south. M. trifoln is widely spread but scarce on the mainland, and fairly common at Scilly. M. dentina has been recorded chiefly from the west, but has been taken at Heligan, near Mevagissey, and sparingly in the east. M. thalassina is scarce but evidently widely distributed. M. dissimilis has only been recorded from the Penzance district by Marquand. M. oleracea and M. pisi are common almost everywhere on the mainland and at Scilly. M. advena was taken by Reading at Antony along with M. nebulosa. The latter has lately been found at Looe. The larvae of M. brassicae are at times among the most destructive pests in both flower and vegetable garden, as nothing seems to come amiss to them in the way of food. On cabbages their attack is ruinous, as they gnaw large holes down into the heart and leave behind a disgusting excrement. In 1901 they were unusually abundant about Truro, and did great damage to vegetables, herbaceous borders, and even to bedding plants. M. persi- cariae is widely distributed but by no means common. At Newquay, however, it was plentiful in July, 1902. M. albicolon has been taken at Bodmin and near Penzance. M. myrtilli is widely spread but local and scarce ; it has been taken on St. Cleer Down, at Bodmin, at Falmouth, and occasionally further west, Agrotis vestigia/is is not uncommon on the coast both in North-east and South-east Cornwall, but is evidently rare elsewhere. A. corticea is occasionally taken from Bodmin westward, but has not been recorded from the east. The larvae of A, segetunt and A. exclamation'u are occasionally very destructive to turnips, green corn, cabbages, and garden seedlings. The last serious attack in the county was in the Liskeard district in 1898, but since that time both species have been somewhat scarce, and for the last six years not a single specimen of A. exclamationis has been recorded in the Truro district. In 1902 this species destroyed some rows of garden turnips and of cabbages at Newquay. In the early eighties these cutworms did an enormous amount of damage in the west of the county. A. ypsilon is variable in its appearance, but in 1902 came freely to sugar in most districts. A. lunigera is rare and local along the south coast, but plentiful at Scilly. A. obelisca has been recorded only from Mount Edgcumbe, Padstow, and Scilly. A. nigricans occurs sparingly in East Cornwall, and one specimen has been taken at Paul near Penzance. A. saucia, the beautiful Pearly Underwing, is usually very scarce throughout the county and at Scilly, but in 1892 it was plentiful along the south and especially in the west. A. rlpae occurs in fair numbers at Bude, also about Dizzard Head (Goss) and on the sandhills between Newquay and Hayle. A. puta is frequently taken at sugar in different parts of the county and is fairly common at Scilly. A. plecta is abundant in most districts. A. strigula was taken at Sand- creed in 1892, and has twice been recorded subsequently from the east of the county. A. tritici is widely distributed but nowhere very common except occasionally at Scilly. Four specimens of the scarce A. augur were taken at Looe in July, 1900. A, lucernea has been recorded by Reading from Whitsand cliffs and by Marquand from Penzance. A. putris and A. c-nigrum are widespread and common and occur at Scilly. A. ditrapezium was obtained near Falmouth in July, 1904. A. triangulum has been occasionally taken in the south-east and once at Scilly. A. pronuba fluctuates considerably in numbers but is often abundant. Its larvae do great injury at times to clovers and grass generally, but there has been no serious attack since the early nineties. A. comes as a rule is common on meadow grass in every district. A. brunnea is scarce and local except in the south-east, where it is at times fairly common. A. xanthographa is common everywhere and often abundant. A. castanea has been recorded from St. Cleer Downs and from Whitsand Heights, and was taken some years ago in the west. A. rubi and A. festiva are not un- common along the south of the county, and are occasionally taken at Scilly and in the north. A solitary specimen of A. dahlii was taken by Baily in Trevaylor valley in 1883. A. glareosa is generally rare throughout the county, but in 1893 was very common in West Cornwall. A. depuncta was taken in the Looe valley in July, 1902, and was reported last year from Callington. A. typica occurs in damp localities throughout the county and comes freely to sugar. I 209 27