OBSERVED IN nERTFORDSniEE. 193 



of larvte wbicli he succeeded in rearing. On the 26th I searched 

 on the same bushes and found a few insects, some of which were 

 nearly full fed, while others liad not shed their last skin. Several 

 of these 1 preserved, but the remainder unfortunately died. How- 

 ever the larva? collected by Mr. Lewis changed into pupa), some of 

 which I am able to exhibit. The larva when full fed spins a 

 small oval and very compact cocoon inside which it pupates, leaving 

 breathing-holes which look like fine pin-pricks. Before the moth 

 emerges, the cocoon becomes darker at one end, and ultimately the 

 insect comes out through a very carefully-cut aperture. Only 

 three of the moths appeared this spring, and, as the pupoe seem 

 still to be alive and healthy, it is to be presumed that the others 

 will emerge next year. 



The Lackey Moth {Bomhyx neiistria). — In May I found that a 

 small plum tree in the garden at The Hollies hud been attacked by 

 the lackey moth. The web of caterpillars was cut off and I took it 

 indoors for observation. The female lackey moth lays her eggs 

 in the autumn in a band round the stem or branch of the food- 

 plant, and, as soon as the small hairy dark- coloured grubs emerge, 

 they spin a web in which they live, stripping the branches of the 

 tree for a supply of food, and often leaving them quite bare of 

 leaves. These catei-pillars are rather conspicuous and handsome 

 creatures. The head or first segment is of a light blue tint, and 

 has two black eye-like spots upon it A whitish longitudinal line 

 runs down the centre of the back, and on either side of this are 

 narrow stripes of black and orange-red, and a broader one of blue. 

 The caterpillar is hairy, especially on the underpart of the body. 

 It spins in any convenient corner a cocoon which is easily dis- 

 tinguished by the quantity of sulphur-coloured powder which it 

 contains. My insects began to pupate about the second week in 

 June, and during July the moths emerged, but I am not able to 

 give the exact dates. The caterpillars of this moth do an immense 

 amount of mischief, and as soon as a web of them is observed on a 

 fruit-tree the branch should be carefully cut off, without jerking it 

 so as to alarm the insects, and plunged into boiling water. Miss 

 Ormerod tells us that in France B. neustria is such a troublesome 

 pest in orchards, in consequence of the ravages of the caterpillars, 

 if left unchecked, ruining the apple-leafage over an extent of miles 

 of country, that an old law made it compulsory on landed proprie- 

 tors to have the shoots with the webs on cut off and destroyed. 



The Emperoe Moth {Saturnia pavonia). — In 1889 Mr. Arthur 

 Lewis released some larvae of the emperor moth in his garden at 

 Sparrowswick. Last autumn a fine full-grown catei'pillar was 

 brought to him, having been found on Bernard's Heath, which 

 adjoins his residence, and it may not be too much to hope that 

 this beautiful insect has established itself in the neighbourhood 

 of St. Albans. It is not a fresh introduction to our county's 

 fauna, for its occurrence has been previously recorded. 



The Common Quaker {Tceniocanqja stabilis). — On April 6th I took 



