Retrospective Criticism. 74-9 



tical with that bred by Mr. Westwood ? A comparison of 

 specimens will best determine. Will Mr, Woodward com- 

 municate winged ones ? The cocoon of Trichiosoma luc6rum 

 which he sent us this spring (collected in December, 1831), as 

 being infested with ichneumons, is now full of larvae, each 

 enveloped in silky matter, but every one seems dead. — J. D, 



Notice of some singular Varieties of Vapili6nid(^ in Mr, 

 Weaver's Museum^ Birmingham. — Sir, It is with pleasure 

 that I observe, p. 546., a notice and account of the museum 

 of natural historj^ at Birmingham, which has been amassed 

 by the indefatigable industry and perseverance of Mr. 

 Weaver. I lately visited the institution, for the first time 

 since its establishment, and was much gratified by what 

 I saw there. In particular, the collection of British in- 

 sects, which is beautifully arranged, appeared to me as one 

 of the best and most extensive of any to which the public 

 have ready access. It would be foreign to my purpose, if not 

 superfluous, to attempt to give any thing like a full account 

 even of this one department of the museum. The object of 

 my present notice is merely to call the attention of entomo- 

 logists to one or two singular varieties of Papilionidae with 

 which the collection is enriched : these Mr. Weaver has in- 

 trusted to my care, and kindly allowed me to forward to you, 

 for the purpose of being figured in your Magazine. 



The first which I shall mention is an extraordinary variety 

 of Argynnis Adipp^? {fig. 122.), which was taken in Sutton 



Park, about five years ago. The anterior wings above are 

 nearly black, " embrowned at the base," near which there is 

 a bright, lunar, fulvous mark, and beyond it, more towards 

 the apex a fainter dot of the same colour; a row of elongated 

 tawny spots parallel with the hinder margin, extends from 

 the apex, to the lower angle. The posterior wings approach 

 more nearly to those of the ordinary examples ; but are very 

 much darker, having the spots and chequered markings less 



