1891.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 77 



weeks on cabbage and then refused food, retiring to the top of the cage, 

 where it remained immovable till Jan. i, 1891, when it spun a thin cocoon. 

 Exactly three weeks later, on January 2ist, the imago appeared, a beau- 

 tiful female, measuring four inches. This larva should have hibernated, 

 but perhaps the heat of my room hastened the transformation. Those 

 who wish this beautiful insect should obtain the larva from friends in the 

 South, where it is not uncommon, as it is easy to rear, taking kindly to 

 cabbage, which is readily procured and kept fresh. I, myself, would like 

 a lot of the larva this Spring, and will give good exchange or pay cash 

 for same. R. OTTOLENGUI, 115 Madison Ave., N. Y. 



THE recent notes in ENT. NEWS concerning insects attracted to electric 

 light call to mind an observation of my own while in Washington, D. C., 

 the past Summer. While looking over the swarms of insects covering 

 the ground under certain lights, I noticed among them a number of Ca- 

 rabidse of various species eagerly feasting upon the bodies of the fallen 

 insects. Whether they were first attracted to the light and then turned 

 their attention to their easy prey, or whether the abundance of food was 

 itself the attraction, it would be interesting to determine. In either case 

 it appears that these voracious creatures have readily adapted themselves 

 to the improved conditions of modern society, and are glad to utilize 

 electric lighting to their own advantage. Doubtless the same point has 

 often been observed by other collectors, but I do not recollect of its 

 mention in any of the journals I have read. HERBERT OSBORN. 



A SPIDER FISHERMAN. On the zoth of last May Messrs. Leng, Beuten- 

 mu'ller, Thompson and myself were rambling among the innumerable 

 little hills near Grasmere Station, on Staten Island, and in the late after- 

 noon came to a small, wood-shaded pond. Several moderately large 

 spiders were on its surface, a few feet from the shore, and it so happened 

 that while I was watching one of them, in particular, that rested quietly, 

 it suddenly made a rapid motion and seized a little silvery fish over an 

 inch in length. It held it firmly and remained as stationary as it had been 

 before the capture. A number of water-beetles (Gyrinidae) now came 

 swimming about the spider, no doubt being anxious to share in the feast, 

 but they quickly decamped upon the approach of the water-net that cap- 

 tured the Arachnid. In the fifth volume of the Boston Journal of Natural 

 History, Dolomedes sexpunctatus is described by Hentz, and the charac- 

 ters given there agree admirably with the specimen in question. The ac- 

 count further adds that, "This species dwells on ponds, and dives with 

 great agility, hiding itself under floating leaves or rubbish when pursued." 

 These spiders swim, or skate on the surface of the water, by using the 

 two middle pairs of legs as oars, while the fore and hind pairs serve as 

 supports. WILLIAM T. DAVIS. 



