OBSERVED IN nERTFORDSnillE IN 1895. 29 



very common in this part of Hertfordshire, brought to him on the 

 26th of September. Its congener the privet hawk-moth (S. 

 li</ustn') is also recorded from Watford by the same observer, who 

 netted a specimen at the electric light. Its proboscis, thorax, 

 and legs were covered with a yellow pollen. The elephant hawk- 

 moth has not been recorded during the year, but two of our 

 commonest sphinges, the eyed hawk-moth [Smerintlms ocellatiis) 

 and the poplar hawk-moth {S. poj)uli), were both observed. A 

 specimen of the former was sent to me by Mr. Kent, jun., of 

 St. Albans, on the 21st of May, and an unusually fine specimen 

 of the latter, measuring 3^ inches from tip to tip of its wings, was 

 captured by Mrs. Harrison at Barnet on the 19th of June. The 

 only other hawk-moth which I have to record is the humming-bird 

 hawk-moth {Macroghssa stellatarum), a specimen of which was sent 

 to me by Mr. A. C. Smith, of St. Peter's Street, St. Albans, having 

 been taken by him in the house. Two years previously this moth 

 was unusually abundant, as my report for the year 1893 shows. 



BoMBTCES. — Mrs. Harrison reports the capture of the larva of 

 a wood leopard-moth {Zeiizera pyrina), which, however, she did 

 not succeed in rearing. It is not easy to induce these insects to 

 feed ; they are wood-borers, and in a state of nature they feed on 

 the living wood of various trees, but when kept in captivity they 

 generally sicken and die. An extraordinary find of larvte of the 

 emperor-moth [Saturnia pavonia) is recorded by Mr. Latchmore. 

 He and Dr. Davis were fishing one evening in July, when, the 

 sport not being very brisk, the doctor abandoned his rod and 

 searched for caterpillars in an osier-bed. On one osier-biish he 

 found no less than fifty fine full-fed specimens of this beautiful 

 larva. Mr. Latchmore points out that there seem to be two 

 different coloured varieties of the larva, and that he has noticed 

 this fact also among many other species. He asks if the colours 

 are the distinguishing marks of the male and female. Possibly 

 some of our members may have studied this subject, and can 

 give some information upon it. So far as my own limited 

 observations go, variety in colour appears to be generally the 

 result of the environment of the insect, and is adopted for 

 protective purposes. 



One of the species of moths which Mrs. Harrison reared during 

 1894 was the drinker-moth {Odonestis potatoria), the larvae of 

 which are frequently to be found by the roadside feeding upon 

 grasses. She was much struck with the muscular power of this 

 cateiiiillar, one of which succeeded, in its eagerness for food, in 

 shaking the vessel in which the grass was placed. Mrs. Harrison 

 says that the movement of the jaws when the caterpillar is eating 

 is audible. She noticed that when they are spinning their cocoon 

 they change the position of the head, making, with no little 

 difficulty, within the limited dimensions of the cocoon when only 

 half constructed, a complete somersault, at nearly regular intervals 

 of twenty minutes. They appear to complete the cocoon in about 

 ten houi's, at least by that time it is so opaque that nothing fui'ther 



