NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 185 



the Tweed and Solway to Moray and West Ross, and it probably goes 

 further north. I have a note also that the larva is sometimes found 

 on menyaiithes (whence, of course, the name), but I never saw it myself 

 on that plant. — F. Buchanan White, Perth. September, 1890. 



Capture of Aepophilus bonnairii. — Yesterday 1 spent some 

 hours in searching the rocks at low- water mark for the rare sub-marine 

 bug, Aepophilus bonnairii, and succeeded in finding one specimen. I 

 had lifted a piece of seaweed and caught sight of the insect as it was 

 disappearing in a crevice in the rock. — W. A. Luff, 12 Mansell Street, 

 Guernsey. September 29M, 1890. 



Plusia moneta and Cuspidia alni at Tunbridge Wells. — You 

 may perhaps think it worth while to record in your magazine for this 

 month, that I captured at light in the High Woods near this town on 

 the I St of July last a very fine specimen of Plusia moneta. I sent the 

 specimen up to Messrs. Watkins and Doncaster (as it was unknown to 

 me), and they have identified it as that species. I also captured 

 Cuspidia alni at sugar in June, in a wood within a quarter of a mile 

 of my house. — R. A. Dallas Beeching, 24 St. James' Road, Tunbridge 

 Wells. October \st, 1890. 



Catocala promissa near Reading. — I have to record the capture 

 of a second fine Catocala promissa at Padworth, about eight miles from 

 here. — (Mrs.) E. Bazeti, Springfield, Reading. August 26th, 1890. 



Emmelesia unifasciata. — A large proportion of this species usually 

 remains in the pupal stage two years. I am now breeding specimens 

 from larvae collected in October, 1887, they having remained in pupte 

 three seasons. — W. G. Sheldon. July 2isl, 1890. 



Retinia resinana. — I left Aberdeen May 26th for Forres, in search 

 of the larvae of Retinia resinana, and am pleased to say my journey was 

 successful, although rather a long one. I found the larvae rather common 

 in resinous lumps on the fir-twigs, but whether this is their second year 

 as larvae, I cannot say, never having reared the species before. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Adkin's experience, which was published in the Ento- 

 mologist two or three years ago, this larva takes two years in feeding. — 

 A. Horne, Aberdeen, N.B. July, 1890. 



FooDPLANT OF Catocala fraxini. — What is the natural foodplant 

 of C. fraxini ? Its name of course suggests ash. Newman gives 

 poplar and ash. The first time I obtained ova of this species I sleeved 

 them on ash, and lost the lot ; they never began to feed. Next year I 

 tried the ordinary Italian poplar, which they ate readily, and 22 imagines 

 were produced from 24 eggs. The same year a Plymouth correspon- 

 dent informed me that he had failed to rear them on ash. This season 

 I forced some three dozen and fed them (in the hot-house) on poplar, 

 and when the weather was suitable, sleeved them outside on the poplar, 

 transferring 2 to the balsam poplar, and, for experiment, I sleeved 4 of 

 the finest larvae on ash. Those on poplar did well, on ash the larvae 

 died, not a single sign could I detect of the ash having been eaten. 

 Has the larva ever been reared on ash in England ? It seems very 

 strange that the larvae should refuse ash when half fed, and starve in 

 preference to eating it, if ash is a natural food. Perhaps some ento- 

 mologist can tell me whether the larvae will, under any circumstances, 



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