1877.] 07 



Capture of Sphinx pinastri near Ipswich.— T\\e Eev. John Longe, of Tuddenham 

 Vicarage, Ipswich, writes as follows : — " A beautiful specimen of Sphinx pinastri 

 " was captured in my garden on Monday, June 25th. I was playing lawn-tennis 

 " about 3 p.m., when one of my sons came and told me he had just seen a moth at 

 " rest on a wooden hpuse iii the garden, requesting his brother to capture it for him : 

 " this was done without any difficulty under the circumstances." I have received a 

 drawing of this insect from Mr. Longe, and it undoubtedly represents Sphinx 

 pinastri. The insect is common near Brussels, and there is no reason geographically 

 why it should not occur here. A sandy district, planted with fir trees, in the eastern 

 counties, would be about the likeliest spot for it. — H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, 

 Lewisham, S.E. : Jidi/ 7th, 1877. 



The yellow variety of ZygcenafiUpendulcB. — The yellow variety of Z.filipendulcB 

 is turning up agoiin this year in Cambi-idge. My eOusin sent me four specimens last 

 week.— S. D. Baiestow, Woodland Mount, Hnddersfield : Jxtly dth, 1877. 



Seliothis scutosa. — I think that it docs not require a very extraordinary amount 

 of evidence to convince the readers of the Magazine of the authenticity of a species, 

 but as reasonable beings, they require some evidence, and to this Mr. Hodgkinson in 

 his Uvely note {ante p. 17) has supplied a clue. This obtained, I wrote at once to one 

 of the fortunate possessors of Cumberland scutosa — the Eev. Henry Burney — and 

 he, with his usual kindness, sent me his specimen for examination, with the remark 

 that Mr. Hodgkinson's account of it was precisely the same as that given to him 

 many years ago when he purchased the specimen. It is scutosa without doubt — a 

 male in fair condition, and decidedly darker than mj Norfolk specimen, and than a 

 foreign type in my possession ; the fore-wings being almost entu'ely clouded with 

 greyish-brown in which the white nervures are conspicuous, as also are the large 

 dark stigmata. It is pinned with an old-fashioned bead-headed pin, and has a 

 thoroughly genuine British appearance, indeed, there need be no doubt, I fancy, 

 after the information given in a recent interesting paper, by Mr. E. A. Fitch, of the 

 authenticity of the Cumberland specimens. 



If Artemisia campestris is its favourite food-plant, it is certain that Norfolk 

 and Suffolk are the most probable counties for finding it in, since the plant is really 

 common on the light sandy district around Thetford and Brandon, growing at the 

 edges of fields and along ])athway8 where the grass is not ploughed up. I have seen 

 it in plenty at Brandon. — CuAS. G-. Baeeett, Pembroke : July 14.th, 1877. 



Capture of Lepidoptera in the Cambridgeshire Fens. — "While coWecimg Lepidop- 

 tera in the Cambridgeshire Fens during June last I captured a perfect male of 

 Hydrilla palustris and two specimens of Bankia aryeniula. I also took a fine 

 series of Macrogaster arundinis, of Meliana flammea, and of Nascia cilialis. I 

 have also bred Oelechia morosa. — A. B. Faen, Dartford : July 10th, 1877- 



Hydrilla palustris at Wicken Fen. — At about 12.30 a.m., on the 12tli June, 

 when leaving Wicken Fen after night-collecting, a Noctua not familiar to me crawled 

 up the glass of my lantern whilst it was resting on the ground, wliich proved, on 

 examination when I readied home, to be a male IJydrilla palustris in fair condition.— 

 A. H. Jones, Shrublauds, Eltham : July 1th, 1877. 



Cidaria reticulata bred. — At last I have had the pleasure of rearing this species 



