304 THE entomologist's record. 



Glands on the Thorax of certain Lepidoptera. — The acid 

 glands {ante, pp. 237 and 238) are possessed by a number of Lepidop- 

 tera besides the species named, especially the cocoon-forming Bombyces 

 and Dicranura. I have also noticed them in Vimi7iia myriccB. While 

 not doubting Mr. Griffiths' theory, that the acid, being distasteful to 

 birds, is a protection to species possessing it, I cannot help thinking 

 that the main use of the acid is to soften the cocoons at the moment 

 of emergence, and anyone who has seen Bombyx quercus or Dicranura 

 vinula at this moment, will be inclined to think so too. Just before the 

 above species emerge, and at the exact spot where the insect will after- 

 wards make its exit, the cocoon becomes saturated with moisture, and 

 often, when the insect has its head and shoulders out, the acid will be 

 seen flowing freely from the glands, and gathering in two beads in front 

 of the thorax ; at other times, the whole head and thorax will be satu- 

 rated with the acid for some time after they emerge. The power of 

 ejecting the acid is always strongest in a newly-emerged insect, they 

 seem to lose it as they grow older. — Wm. Reid, Pitcaple. [This is 

 quite a new suggestion to me, and a very probable one. — Ed.] 



Sudden development of the Wings of some Lepidoptera. — I 

 can adduce somewhat similar instances of the retarded, and then sudden 

 wing-development, to that recorded by Mrs. E. Bazett, ante, p. 237. 

 In 1877 I had some pup^e of Lithostege griseata. In one or two cases 

 the imago emerged, and the wings were not formed till hours afterwards, 

 and then with my aid, as will appear. Such insects were always very 

 restless from the first, moving rapidly about the cage. On the first 

 occasion I was tempted to throw the moth away, thinking that without 

 doubt the result must be a wingless cripple. The idea, however, 

 occurred to me that I would try what a good shaking up might do 

 towards helping the development of the wings, so I transferred the 

 insect to a small card-board box, threw about the box with some force, 

 and then left it. Unfortunately I did not see the actual subsequent 

 formation of the wings ; but when I went to look about two hours 

 afterwards, there was griseata with perfectly-formed and symmetrical 

 wings. It may have been a sudden process, as that described with 

 respect to Chesias spartiata, or it may have been a more gradual expan- 

 sion. This I cannot tell, as I did not observe the wings unfold. I 

 have tried the tossing about plan with other species, and with good 

 results, though I regret that I have never been fortunate in seeing the 

 wings actually formed. — Joseph Anderson, Jun., Chichester. 



Retarded development of wings of T.iENiocAMPA stabilis on 

 emergence. — To-day, I happened to refer to some notes on pup^e 

 which I had dug in 1889, and find that, opposite a note on a pupa of 

 TcBniocanipa stabilis, I have written, "emerged March 26th, at 9.30 

 a.m., not fully developed until after mid-day." This would seem in 

 some measure to bear out Mrs. Bazett's observation [ante, p. 237), 

 though, in that case, no development took place for several hours, after 

 which it a|)parently occurred suddenly and quickly. In the case of my 

 T. stabilis, I think there was a certain amount of development at once, 

 only the full development was an unusually long time in taking place. 

 In connection with this, I remember wondering whether, if pairmg took 

 place directly after the emergence of the imago, this would prevent its 



