VARIETIES. 511 



cabinets in Warwick and Worcester shires ; and which were all pro- 

 cured, a little more than two years ago, from a dealer who assured 

 me that they had been taken in abundance in the neighbourhood of 

 York. Being somewhat sceptical, I made inquiry, the result of 

 which was that they had been seen at York, but only in the boxes 

 of this dealer, who there asserted that they were taken at Manchester ; 

 and thus succeeded in selling a pair of them as Hyale. 



To show the facility with which the cabinets of the credulous may 

 be enriched by dealers, I will add that I very lately saw a box 

 containing specimens of Mancipium Daplidicce, Argynnis Lathonia, 

 Vanessa Antiopa, Lyccena VirgaurcecE and Chryseis, Deilephila 

 Euphorbice and Lineata, Catocala Fraxini, <^c. Sfc, some of them 

 in considerable numbers, with tolerably respectable looking pins, and 

 all, of course, warranted British. Ere long these will have been 

 admitted into different cabinets, and your pages may probably have 

 to record their occurrence in the different localities assigned to them 

 by the dealer. I am, Sir, yours, &e. 



Birmingham, February, 1836. Thomas MARSHALL. 



41. Sir, — The Entomological Magazine of July last (No. 12) con- 

 tains a somewhat circumstantial statement of the " singular fact," 

 of a perfect male and female of Saturnia pavonia-minor being pro- 

 duced from a single " very fine larva," to the great astonishment of 

 their possessor. I then took for granted that more would be said 

 upon the subject of so surprising a phenomenon ; but time has rolled 

 on — two more Fire-flies have been saffered to enlighten the land — but 

 not a ray has fallen upon the " singular fact." Of course, therefore, 

 it is considered to be sufficiently clear, and should not be doubted. 

 Unfortunately, however, all have not equally comprehensive minds, 

 and my attention having recently been recalled to the subject by an 

 application from a young friend for my opinion as to how such a 

 wonder could be accounted for, I found myself somewhat posed. A 

 doubt of the occurrence was not to be entertained, when it was 

 recollected under what auspices it was introduced to the world. On 

 referring to the original, I see that it is entitled " Two pupae of 

 Saturnia in one cocoon," as if two animals had, for economy's sake, 

 sheltered under one blanket, which would have been natural enough ; 

 but this is not borne out by the context, whence I suspect that the 

 Editor, like myself, did not fully comprehend the account. The 

 statement itself is entirely at variance with its title. It expressly 

 affirms that the cocoon was formed by one very fine larva, and that 

 from it emerged a male and female of the species in great perfection. 

 The relator witnessed the " most singular fact," having called upon 



