29S [Decembor, 



active wriggling movemonts. Those lateral notches prevent the pupa from rupture 

 by bending too far on one side -the noteh acts as a sort of restraining cog by 

 catching against the segment immediately in front of it. They are situated in front 

 of the spiracles, and are formed of hard concentric ridges, shelving out one above 

 the other ; this constitutes a sort of lip or brow against which the contiguous 

 segment catches firmly. As far as I can ascertain it is a purely mechanical struc- 

 ture, which admirably meets the requirements of the case. — Alice L. Embleton, 

 Balfour Laboratory, Cambridge : October 22nd, 1901. 



Larvce of Sphinx conoolvuli in Scotland. — Caterpillars of the Convolvulus 

 Hawk-Moth have this year been found in two localities in Scotland, namely, at 

 Kirkiebi'ide in Kirkcudbrightshire, whence Mr. R. Service, of Dumfries, had three 

 on August 21st, and at Dunbar in East Lothian, were two were got (one of them by 

 myself) on September 10th and 11th, as fully recorded in " Annals Scot. Nat. 

 Hist " for October, pp. 238 and 239. The moths themselves have been obtained 

 in various parts of the country, specimens from the counties of Elgin, East Lothian, 

 Midlothian and Kirkcudbright having come under my notice. Larvae of the Death's 

 Head Hawk-Moth (A. Atropos) seem also to have been more in evidence than 

 usual ; I have had four from near Dunbar and one from Dumfries, and have lieard 

 of others. — William Evans, 38, Morningside Park, Edinburgh : Nov. 7th, 1901. 



Sphinx vonvolvuli in the Isle of Wight. —It may interest your readers to know 

 of the captures of S. coniwlvuli here in a short space of time. Single specimens 

 turned up during September in verandahS; summerhouses, &c. ; and at the close of 

 the month I heard that the insect visited tobacco plants {Nicotiana afflnis) in 

 gardens at Bembridge in some quantity, and so watched a border of flowers here — 

 tobacco plants, petunias, Phlox Drummondi, &c. The result was as follows : -- 

 September 27th, saw 3, took 2 ; 28th, 2—1 ; 30th, 2—2; October 1st, 3—2 ; 2nd, 

 4—3 ; 3rd, 3 — 1 ; 4th, 2—1 ; 5th, 2—2 ; 7th, 1—0. After October 7th the weather 

 became cold and wet, and it was no use looking for the insect ; they came just at 

 dusk, and were a beautiful sight. I saw three at one time on October 2nd, and in a 

 garden at Bembridge eight were said to have been seen at once. Those which I 

 took were mostly fair, and some of them very good specimens ; the females wore 

 slightly more abundant than the males. Had I begun to look after theui earlier I 

 could probably have taken 7nany more had I wished to do so, since, as I said, the 

 moth had been out for sorric time. Some others were seen and taken in a garden 

 near that in which I took my fourteen specimens at much the same time. — C. W. 

 Fox, Heathlands, Sandown, Isle of Wight : November 4th, 1901. 



Sphinx convolvuli in North Devon. — This insect has been uncommon here this 

 year as in 1898. It was interesting to hold a flower of the white tobacco in one's 

 hand and see two moths actually fight for access to it ! {of. Ent. Mo. Mag., Dec, 

 1898, p. 278).— G. B. Longstaff, Twitchen, Mortehoe, R.S.O. : October 6th, 1901. 



Sphinx convolvuli at Folkestone. — About the last week in August I had a large 

 chrysalis handed to me which I took to be Acherontia Atropos. I put it in moss 

 and placed it in a warm position on the kitchen mantlepicce, keeping it carefully 

 damped. On September 20th tlie moth emerged, and proved to be -S. convolvuli. 



