260 THE entomologist's record, 



making holes in the earth and lining them with silk, probably on account ^ 

 of the hard nature of the floor. I think its appearance in such numbers 

 in a greenhouse (there must have been thousands of larvae) is worthy of 

 notice. — W. A. Luff, Mansell Street, Guernsey. December, 1890. 

 [This is about as complete an exhibition of the ignorance prevailing 

 about our common species, as one can well imagine. As a member of 

 the South London Society, who may have been present at the meeting, 

 I am quite willing to bear my share of culpability, negligence or 

 ignorance, or all combined. — Ed.] 



DlANTHOECIA C^SIA AND POLIA NIGROCINCTA IN THE ISLE OF MaN. 



— Along with my friend, Mr. Murray, I had a week in the Isle of Man 

 this year, and had the good fortune to take a nice series of Diajitlioecia 

 ccesia, also the larvae oi Folia nigrocincta. Amongst entomologists who 

 work for these species, the prevailing opinion is that D. ccesia is be- 

 coming scarce and is the better insect of the two. — Geo. A. Booth, 

 Grange-over-Sands. October i%th, 1890. 



DiANTHCECiA c^siA. — By working the Manx coast systematically, I 

 mean night after night, one is almost sure to take a series or two of 

 JD. ccBsia, but I am sure we need never fear that this species and 

 Polia xaiithomista {nigrocincta) are becoming extinct. Our jomt 

 result this year, in eight days' stay, was either 6 or 8 specimens of 

 D. ccssia, which species was, this year, in particularly fine condition 

 (first week in June). — C. E. Stott, Lostock, Bolton. November, iSgo^ 



Overlooked Butterflies. — Now that a new butterfly, Hesperia 

 lineola, has been added to the British list, I would call attention to the 

 fact that several species closely allied to Syrictiius alveolus are common 

 on the Continent. Some years ago, I had one specimen of S. carthami, 

 a species very closely allied to alveolus, sent me by a Mr. Bankhart of 

 Bradford among a S( ries of alveolus which he had lately taken. As I 

 did not know the species, and thought it a curious alveolus, I sent it 

 to London to be named and have never seen or heard of it since. 

 S. andromeda and 6'. carthami ore very much alike. 6". alveus and 

 S. sao are also closely allied to them. — W. Reid, Pitcaple, Aberdeen, N.B. 



Habits of Acrolepia autumnitella. — LarvK of A. autumnitella 

 are to be found in mines which cause conspicuous greenish-white 

 blotches in the leaves of Solatium dulcamara, especially in those parts 

 of the plant which are most concealed from view. They are generally 

 full-fed about the middle of September (I have however found the 

 larvae in October), and ^nr\ beautiful spindle shaped cocoons, made of 

 an open network of brownish silk — something like the cocoon of 

 Chrysocorys festaliella. The moths emerge in 2 or 3 weeks. — N. M 

 Richardson, Monte Video, near Weymouth. November, 1890. 



Foodplant of Catocala fraxini. — My experience with C. fraxini 

 was very much the same, as regards the food, as that of Mr. Hope 

 Alderson {Ent. Rec, p. 185), only not quite so good a result. Last 

 spring, I obtained about 30 eggs of the above species ; when they 

 emerged, I put both ash and poplar in with them, seven refused to eat 

 either food, the rest all took to the poplar, until nearly full-fed, when 

 about half of them refused to eat; I again tried them with ash, but 



^ I should think it is a natural habit to line the galleries they make with silk. — Ed. 



