288 THE QUERIST, 



The two latter in great abundance. — H. Harper Crewe, Breadsall Kectory, 

 near Derby, October 20th., I806. 



In the "Querist" for August, occurs the following passage: — Taxus says 

 ^'Chrysalides are found in greatest abundance at the foot of the alder, 

 willow, oak, elm, and ash." Will he kindly inform your readers what 

 chrysalides he finds at the roots of the ash? To this query is appended 

 a remark by the Editor, "I have scarcely ever found any under the 

 ash." In default of any other reply, it may be interesting to Mr. 

 Cooper to know that I have myself taken all the subjoined species at the 

 roots of that tree, namely, Lithosia rubricollis, Phragmatobia Menthrasti 

 and lubricipeda, Pacilocampa populi, Semaphora Psi, Acronycta ligustri, 

 (commonly,) S. xanthographa, Chersotis plecta, (commonly,) Taeniocampa 

 gothica, stabilis, instabilis, and cruda, Cirraedia xerampelina, (not un- 

 commonly,) Xanthia cerago, X. ferruginea, Hadena persicariae, Phlogo- 

 phora meticulosa, Abrostola urticae and triplasia, Ennomos iliunaria and 

 fuscantaria, (one,) Odontopera bidentaria, Himera pennaria, Anisopteryx 

 sescularia ^ and J , Phigalia pilosaria, Biston hirtaria and betularia, 

 (both commonly) Harpalyce ruptaria, Cheiraatobia dilutaria, (very com- 

 monly), and Eupithecia innotaria. Will "Taxus" permit me to ask in 

 my turn how, when professing to enumerate the best trees for pupa 

 digging, he could possibly omit the various kinds of poplar, a tree which 

 produces, among many other species, such insects as P. palpina, N. 

 dictaea and Ziczac, A. leporina, C. ocularis. Or, and diluta. He also 

 gives alder as a good tree. The only insects I ever found at the roots 

 of that tree were N. Dromedarius and P. impluviaria. I believe the 

 pupa of C. bicuspis has been taken on the trunk of that tree in the 

 north. I would venture to suggest to all pupa diggers that there is no 

 use whatever in trj/ing small trees. — Rev. J. Greene, Playford, Ipswich. 



[I ara inclined to think that some, if not most, of the above-named or 

 other species, when found at the roots of ash trees, have onl}' crawled 

 thither in their wanderings to bury themselves, finding appropriate shelter 

 here and there. We all know from every-day experience how the cater- 

 pillars of a vast variety of Moths thus crawl about; for instance, of the 

 above, Menthrasti and Lubricipeda. I shall be glad to hear what (if 

 any) species Mr. Greene has himaelf fed in confinement on the ash. With 

 regard to the alder, I have known the larva of Alni taken from it; 

 such, indeed, is imported by its name to be its proper food, but I 

 suppose Mr. Greene intends only to speak of the chrysalides found at the 

 roots, and the one in question, I imagine, spins a web. With regard to 

 the poplar, Mr. Greene is perfectly right; it ought to be with entomolo- 

 gists as it is often popularly called, the popular tree. — F. O. Morris.] 



