A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE Pl.USlAD.ffi (Plusiades) (continued) East Barnet (Gillum) ; Nascot Wood (Cults) ; Oxhey (H. Rowland-Brown) ; Tring (Goodson) ; Stevenage (Mat- thews) ; Cheshunt (Boyd) Said to be very common at Steven- age among long grass, flying in the sunshine ; also common at Cheshunt ; not generally abundant Rivula sericealis, Sc. Sandridge (Griffith) ; Hitchin (Durrani) ; East Barnet (Gil- lum) ; Tring (A. T. Goodson) Orgyia gonostigma, F. Bricket Wood (Griffilh) ; Haileybury (Bowyer) Mr. Griffith found a larva of O. gonostigma on oak at Bricket Wood in 1884. Mr. Bowyer records the capture of this moth once at Hailey- bury. In the School List it is said to have occurred ' formerly on Heath,' and Mr. Stockley writes with regard to it : ' Apparently no longer taken, as I have not heard of any but a solitary specimen in 1 897 for six years ' antiqua, L. St. Albans and Welwyn (A. E. G.) ; Sandridge (Griffilh) ; Hitchin (Durrani) ; Haileybury (Bowyer) ; Hertford (Stephens) ; East Barnet (Gillum) ; Bushey (Cutls) ; Watford (Spencer, Healon, Wigg) ; Oxhey (H. Rowland-Brown) ; Tring and Wilstone (Elliman) ; Stevenage (Mat- thews) ; Cheshunt (Boyd) This is one of ihe species which are commonest in those parts of the county which approach suburban London. It is generally distribuled, but in those parts of Hertfordshire which are most remote from the melropolitan district it is met with less frequently. Mr. Boyd describes it as common, Mr. Matthews as fairly common, a remark which would also apply to St. Albans. Mr. Elliman speaks of it as not very common but general the larvae may be obtained pretty freely about Wilstone and Drayton Beauchamp and says the apterous female may be most easily obtained by rearing Dasychira pudibunda, L. St. Albans (larvae) and Bricket Wood (A. E. G.) ; Sand- ridge (Griffith) ; Hitchin (Durrani) ; Haileybury (Bowyer) ; Nascot Wood (Culls) ; Watford (Spencer, Wigg, Cottam) ; Tring (Elliman) ; Steven- age (Matthews) This is occasionally met with. Mr. Elliman finds the larvae on beech CENER.lAD.ffi (continued) Colocasia coryli, L. Watford (Wigg) ; Tring (Elliman) ; Theobald's Grove station, one (Boyd) The Rev. H. Harpur Crewe says : ' The larvae of Orgyia coryli are by no means uncommon in Hertfordshire on beech ' (Zoologist, x. 3,625). Mr. Elliman writes with regard to this species : ' Common, more especially in the larval stale. The pupae may be found under moss on beech trees and the perfect insect sits on the same tree at the end of April and in May. The larvae are very variable in colour, most of them being some shade of red, yellow and brown, but almost black specimens may be found. I have beaten it from beech, hazel, oak and sallow ' Porthesia similis, Fuesl. (auriflua, F.). St. Albans (A. E. G.) ; Sandridge (Grif- fith) ; Hitchin (Durrani) ; Haileybury (Bowyer) ; East Barnet (Gillum) ; Bushey (Cutls) ; Watford (Spencer, Heaton, Wigg) ; Bushey Heath (Bar- raud) ; Tring (Elliman) ; Stevenage (Matlhews) ; Bishop Stanford (Tay- lor, Mellows) ; Cheshunt (Boyd) Common. Mr. Elliman finds it mosl abundant in the low-lying por- tions of the district. It is well known that the hairs from the dorsal lufls of the larvae have an irritaling effect upon the human skin. One of the observers named above was so badly affecled by them that the doc- tor pronounced him to be suffering from an atlack of measles Euproclis chrysorrhoea, L. East Barnet (Gillum) ; Haileybury (School List) ; Stevenage (Matlhews) ; Watford (Heaton) ; Tring (Hon. L. Walter Rothschild) ; Bishop Stortford (Mel- lows) A rare species. The Hon. L. Waller Rothschild took one specimen in 1897. Mr. Matthews is the only observer who speaks of it as ' fairly common.' Mr. Mellows has found the larvae, but says they are very scarce Stilpnolia salicis, L. Sandridge (Griffilh) ; Hitchin (Durrani) ; Haileybury (Bow- yer) ; East Barnet (Gillum) ; Watford (Spencer, Healon, Wigg) ; Startups End laid Wilstone reservoirs (Elliman); Stevenage (Matlhews) ; Bishop Stort- ford (Taylor) ; Cheshunt (Boyd) This is a very local insecl. Mr. Spencer has bred it from larvae found 130
