LIFE-HISTORIES. 159 



due to its being overlooked, as it seems to occur wherever there are 

 alders, the only difficulty being its detection. The larvae, however, 

 are more easily obtained and can easily be beaten from alders during 

 September and October. Both H. milhauseri and C. biciispis are 

 occasionally found in double and even triple cocoons. — E. M. Dadd, 

 3, Colina Villas, Green Lanes, Wood Green, N. 



Winter habitat of Senta maritima, with some notes on the 

 LARVAL habits. — I was Very much struck during my recent visit to 

 Berlin, by the numbers of bred specimens of this species which 

 were exhibited at the meetings, and, therefore, enquired of 

 the local entomologists as to its larval habits. The larva is 

 about half-grown during the winter, and is obtained in the follow- 

 ing manner : First of all the reeds fringing lakes or rivers are 

 searched until a patch is found that has been formerly attacked by 

 the larvae of Noncujria (feiiunipancta. As is well known this latter 

 species feeds up inside the culms of reeds, sometimes as many as five 

 larvfe being in one reed, and, for the purposes of exit, it gnaws just 

 before pupation a small hole in the side of the reed. Of course at 

 this time the only remains of A'', j/eiinnipuncta are the empty pupa-cases, 

 and the old galleries which are filled with decayed frass. The larva 

 of Scuta niaritma, which does not itself feed on the reeds, takes advan- 

 tage of these galleries and openings in the reeds to hide itself, and it 

 is to be obtained by opening the reed stems which have been attacked 

 by X [leiinnipuncta. In such situations they are extremely common and 

 almost every old gallery has its occupant. Of course the reeds are 

 best worked when the lakes and rivers are frozen over, as otherwise it 

 is very difficult to reach them. The galleries of jY. (jeminipuncta are 

 not only inhabited by the S. maritima larva3, but also by a number of 

 other small insects such as spiders, dipterous larvfe, beetles, &c. During 

 the cold weather the majority of these creatures are perfectly dormant, 

 which is also the case with the larvae of S. maritima when it is ex- 

 tremely cold, in fact they are then sometimes frozen hard and can 

 easily be snapped like sticks, but if the weather be only moderately cold 

 the S. maritima larvae are perfectly lively. It has been found that 

 S. maritima is one of the most carnivorous among lepidopterous 

 larvae, feeding solely and wholly upon other insects and larvae, 

 as well as its own brothers and sisters if other food be not at 

 hand. After having obtained the larvae they are very easily reared ; 

 all that is necessary is to bring home with the larvae a sufficient number 

 of reeds and to keep them moderately moist. The larvae can be fed 

 on almost anything, those which I had in Berlin were fed on raw beef- 

 steak, cooked apples and rice pudding, and these are only a few items 

 of their menu. It is, however, very essential that they should be well 

 watered every day, as water seems to be necessary to life, indeed so 

 partial are they to water that one entomologist in Berlin told me that 

 he had an idea that the larvae of *S'. maritima fed on water. The larva is full- 

 fed about the middle of May when it pupates in the old galleries of A\ (je- 

 miuijinncta. I do not know whether the larva of .S'. maritima seeks the 

 galleries of A\ ncmijiijuinrta as a hiding-place, or for the sake of other 

 insects which are found there, or whether it also feeds on the frass which 

 is to be found therein ; it seems such a general feeder that I do not 

 see why it should not. Around Berlin this species, besides the typical 

 form, produces four well-marked varieties : (1) The common well- 



