The Moths of the British Isles, First Series: Comprising the Families Sphingidæ to NoctuidæSouth, Richard
History
The Moths of the British Isles, First Series: Comprising the Families Sphingidæ to Noctuidæ
South, Richard
Lepidoptera -- Great Britain; Moths -- Great Britain
THE SILVER-STRIPED HAWK (_Hippotion (Chærocampa) celerio_).
Referring to this species in 1828 Stephens wrote: "The first recorded
specimen of the perfect insect was taken flying in Bunhill-fields
burying-ground so long ago as 1779: and the specimen now exists in a high
state of preservation in Mr. Haworth's collection, having been purchased by
him at the dispersion of that of Mr. Francillon. Subsequently to the above
capture the larvæ have been found several times in Cambridgeshire.... Two
or three were also taken about fifteen {44} or sixteen years since in a
garden at Norwich, and were kept until they changed to pupæ; but
unfortunately, in that state their metamorphosis ended. One of these pupæ I
have in my collection. Of late, however, the perfect insect has occurred
more than once, and in totally different parts of the country. Three
specimens, as I am informed by the Rev. F. W. Hope, were taken near Oxford
several years ago. In August, 1826, an injured one was found resting on a
wall near Birmingham; and last summer a second was secured not far distant
from the same locality; the latter I have in my possession. Again, Mr.
Marshall informed me in March last, that, on his way to Manchester, he met
with an individual who possessed upwards of a dozen living pupæ, which were
procured from larvæ found in that neighbourhood during last season."
Humphrey and Westwood mention a specimen taken in Brighton in 1834, and in
1846 eight moths were obtained. Something like one hundred and twenty-five
specimens of this species have been recorded between the year last quoted
and the present time. Of these only one occurred in Ireland. This was a
specimen taken at light on September 17, 1881, at Mullaghmore, County
Sligo. Several were captured in Scotland, and one in Wales; but the bulk
were obtained at various places in England, not in the south only but in
the north also. The majority were met with in the autumn, but a specimen
was reported as taken in May, 1848, at Harlestone, another in March, 1862,
at Tooting, and a third in the Isle of Anglesea, July, 1865. In the
last-named year nine specimens were captured in the autumn. Doubleday
recorded a caterpillar found in a garden at Epping (October, 1867), and
other caterpillars have been reported from Newmarket and Sussex.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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