A HISTORY OF KENT moth is A. emutaria^ Hb., which occurs in the marshes near Woolwich and elsewhere on the banks of the Thames. Another typical Kentish species is the Black-veined Moth {Scoria dealbata, L.^), which is plentiful in several parts of the county, especially about Westwell near Wye and in Chattenden Woods near Rochester. With the exception of one specimen, which I found in a wood near Hailsham in east Sussex, and a few specimens recorded by Mr. T. H. Briggs from Thurning in Hunt- ingdonshire, I am not aware of the occurrence, in this country, of this interesting species out of the county of Kent. That beautiful little species Sterrha sacraria, L., has several times been taken near Folkestone, Dover and elsewhere on the Kentish coast. The scarce Chocolate Tip [Clostera anachoreta, Fb.) was originally discovered at Folkestone by Mr. Sydney Cooper and Dr. Knaggs. It has since been found at St. Leonards and elsewhere in south Sussex, but the great majority of the specimens in our collections were obtained from Kent. The scarce Prominent' [Notodonta carmelita, Esp.) was formerly found at Birch Wood and still occurs sparingly at West Wickham and near Wateringbury. Coming to the Noctuae we find that the rare Leucania albipuncta, Fb., has been taken more frequently about Folkestone than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Tapinostola bondii^ Knaggs, another species of very limited distribution in Europe, used to be common on the West Cliff at Folkestone. The very rare Nonagria sparganii, Esp., has only been taken near Hythe and Deal, and the localities are known to few entomologists. The local Pachetra leucophcea. View, has been taken commonly on the Wye Downs, at Westwell, and near Graves- end ; and the scarce Mamestra abjecta, Hb., has occurred at Dartford and Greenwich and commonly near Gravesend. One of the most interesting Kentish species is Dianthecia albimacula, Bork., first taken at Birch Wood in 1816. It has since been captured and bred in abundance from the Warren at Folkestone, where its food plant, the Nottingham catchfly [Silene nutans), is plentiful. It also occurs on Shakespeare's Cliff near Dover, and elsewhere on the coast where its food plant occurs. That great rarity Cucullia gnaphalii, Hb., was originally taken in Darenth Wood, and the beautiful scarce Burnished Brass {Plusia chryson^ Esp.) was first taken at Deal by the late Mr. Harding. P. moneta, which is now almost generally distributed, was first taken near Dover. Mr. Webb informs me that the following very rare species have also been taken in the county, viz. Hydrilla palustris, H., Xylina zinckenii,T., Micra ostrina, H., and Catephta alchymista, S.V.
- It is plentiful in the New Forest in certain swamps, but prior to its discovery there it was looiced
upon as mainly a Kentish species, though specimens have been recorded from Norfolk. — H. G. 2 Mr. H. T. Stainton in his Manual mentions Charing and Faversham as localities. — H. G. 3 Colonel Irby records this species from West Wickham, and Mr. Goodwin refers to it as being scarce near Wateringbury. ■* The species is locally abundant to the west of Lyme Regis on the borders of the counties of Dorset and Devon. Except in this locality I am not aware of its occurrence anywhere in the United Kingdom out of Kent. Dr. Knaggs informs me that it is still common at Folkestone. — H. G. 6 Plusia chiyson (formerly known as P. onchakca, Hb.) has, during the last sixteen or seventeen years, been taken or bred in great numbers from Chippenham Fen nc.ir Fordham in east Cambridge- shire.— H. G. 186
