A HISTORY OF CORNWALL The migratory locust Pachytylus cinerascens is a casual wanderer to the county. Probably all the records published under P. migratorius are referable to this species. In 1846 a number of locusts belonging to one or both of these species appeared on the east coast of England, and a few stragglers came as far west as Cornwall. In 1857 another wave appeared, and half a dozen at least were taken in the county. In 1876 there were numerous English records, but no captures were reported from the south-western counties at all. Back in the sixties two specimens were taken at St. Mary's, Scilly, and one was captured on St. Agnes in 1897, which lately passed into the writer's possession and is undoubtedly P. cinerascens. Examples of the ' migratory locust ' were obtained at the Lizard in the early forties the description of which agrees well with the species, and in 1902 an unusually fine female of P. cinerascens was taken near Godolphin. A solitary specimen of Oedipoda coerulescens was captured by E. T. Price in the vicinity of Hugh Town, St. Mary's, Scilly, in 1903. The bright blue of its wings had attracted the attention of several of the islanders, who had already made one or two attempts to capture it before Price secured it, and the specimen in consequence was somewhat damaged. The large North African locust, Scbistocerca peregrina, visited England in considerable numbers in 1869 and 1870. Bignell says that between 9 and 11 October, 1869, about thirty specimens were taken in and around Plymouth. Three were taken in the autumn of that year at St. Germans, and it was captured at Looe and at Falmouth, while two were taken near Hayle and at least four in the neighbourhood of Newquay. In October of the following year another small flight of this locust visited Cornwall, and several were taken at Falmouth and a number at the Lizard. About that time large locusts were also taken at Bude. The variable little grasshopper Tettix bipunctatus is recorded by Bignell from Pill and Saltash, and seems indeed to be fairly common throughout the county on warm dry slopes covered with short grass and on dry, sheltered, sunny pastures. It is an early insect, but has been found in Cornwall in mature condition in every month of the year. Tettix subulata, another very variable grasshopper, is also widely spread but apparently local, and even in its favourite haunts about Newquay is much scarcer than the preceding species. LOCUSTIDAE Grasshoppers Leptophyes punctatissima is not uncommon near Boscastle in a broad, overgrown, bramble-covered hedgebank, and is occasionally taken at sugar. Single examples have been taken at Budock, Falmouth, and at Kea, Truro. A solitary specimen of the pretty Phaneroptera falcata from Central France was taken by Mason at Porthgwarra near the Land's End in September, 1881. As McLachlan suggested, it had probably found its way ashore from a passing vessel. Mectmema varium is not uncommon in the east of the county and frequently occurs as far west as Bodmin. About Truro and Falmouth it is decidedly scarce, and has not been reported from the Penzance district at all. Locusta viridissima is the largest of our indigenous Orthoptera, and is by no means uncommon locally on rough herbage and among coarse-growing herbaceous weeds throughout the county. In some seasons it is plentiful about Truro, Falmouth and Newquay, and in 1902 was unusually common everywhere. Thamnotrizon cinereus is very local. It is at times fairly common about Falmouth, and in some of the bramble-lanes and nettle-beds there its short, sharp chirp may often be heard far into the night. In 1901 and 1902 it was common about Bishop's Wood, Truro, but is never seen or heard there now. It is often plentiful up the valley of the Gannel, and has been reported from Looe. Platycleis grisea appears to be confined to a few favoured spots on the south coast. It occurs near the Land's End, is occasionally taken on rest-harrow near Portscatho, and has been reported from Mevagissey. Of the allied species P. brachypterus one example has been taken by Tellam near Bodmin and one in the valley of Millook ; about thirty years ago several were taken at Falmouth. Germonprez found a very young Platycleis larva at Par, which Burr refers doubtfully to the somewhat northern species P. roesalii, of which scarcely half a dozen specimens have been found in England. GRYLLODEA Crickets The wood cricket (Nemobius syhestris) has been recorded from Trevaylor, Penzance, but its occurrence there is somewhat improbable and no specimen has been produced. The field cricket (Gryllus campestris) is described as Cornish by Stephens, but no recent specimens have been found and it is probably extinct. 168
