1 36 ENTOMOLOGY. 



three or four years? If the argument holds good in one case, it certainly must in 

 the other. Although our having bred and taken N. dictcea in May and August 

 has been repeatedly stated, I may as well briefly allude to my experience 

 during last season: — May 23rd., Dictcea eggs laid. June 1st., eggs hatched. 

 July 25th., imago, (all the brood came out.) August 3rd., eggs laid. August 

 9th., eggs hatched. This brood, I am sorry to say, met with an accident, or 

 doubtless I should now had them emerging from the pupae. I have taken it 

 on the wing in the beginning of May, and again in equal numbers, and in 

 as fine condition, early in August. What further proof is required I am at 

 a loss to know. — Abthtjk Naish, Brooklyn Lodge, Ashley Hill, Bristol. 



Early Appearance of Sphinx ligustri. — In the afternoon of April 28th., I 

 was much surprised to see in my pupa box, a fine specimen of Sphinx ligustri, 

 which had just emerged from the pupa. Is not this very early, considering 

 I had only had it in my box a week or ten days, which was placed in a 

 cool apartment. The perfect insect is rarely seen on the wing in this neigh- 

 bourhood, although the larvae are extremely abundant. — A. H., Spring Hill, 

 Northampton. 



[Should our correspondent favour us with any other communications, we 

 should feel obliged if he will append his name, as it is against our rule to 

 insert matters of fact unless the statement is authenticated by the name of 

 the writer. — Ed.] 



Uncertainty in the Appearance of Insects. — On March 14th., 1855, I took, 

 at Acton, a beautiful specimen of Phragmatobia urticce. Whilst pupa-digging 

 next day at Battersea, in the new park which was then forming, I found a 

 splendid Notodonta dictcea just drying its wings. You would not give the 

 middle of March for the appearance of P. urticce and N. dictcea. I have had 

 N. dromedarius and ziczac coming out at long intervals. It is therefore only 

 by collecting numerous facts that we can generalize. — C. T. Cox, Fordwich 

 House, March 15th., 1858. 



Notodonta ziczac Double-brooded. — That N. ziczac is double-brooded I have 

 not the slightest doubt, in my own mind I have quite settled the question. I 

 had some eggs of Ziczac sent me last May; the following are the dates of 

 their appearance in the larvae state: — May 21st., eggs hatched; June 30th., 

 all larvae buried; July 23rd., first moth emerged. I continued breeding till 

 August 3rd., when the last moth made its appearance; not one remained in 

 pupa. From a pair of these insects I obtained fertile eggs, which hatched 

 August 15th. They duly fed up, and are now in pupae. I hope to see the 

 perfect insects next May. I may as well remark that I found two larva? 

 full-fed July 13th. The moths both appeared at the beginning of August. 

 I think this is proof enough that it is double-brooded.— G. F. Mathews, 

 Baleigh House, near Barnstaple, February 11th., 1858. 



The Notodonta are Double-brooded. — I think I can easily reply to my 

 friend Mr. Greene's criticisms in the May number of "The Naturalist." At 

 page 84 of the number for April, he remarks that he has bred JV. camelina 

 from pupae dug up the previous autumn, from the middle of May to the 



