SCIENTIFIC NOTES, 



253 



The Yorkshire .turaHsts' Union met on Saturday, June 22nd, to 

 investigate Yedmanuale, Beedale and Sawdondale, running from the 

 vale of Pickering into the high moorlands, which form the northern 

 l)oundary of the vale. Beedale particularly abounded in insect life. 

 'Die members all met at Wykeham in the evening, and held their 

 usual meeting under the chairmanship of Mr. G. T. Porritt, when the 

 reports of the various sections were read. 



The third volume of JJritis/i Lcpidujitcra has been placed in the 

 l^rinter's hands. This volume will refer entirely to the Macro- 

 Lepidoptera, and the exhaustive treatment of some of the groups 

 of our largest moths should ensure it an even greater measure of 

 success than its predecessors. The leading super-families discussed 

 arc the Lachneides (Lasiocampides), Dimorphides (Endromides), 

 Attacides (Saturniides), Sphingides. The summarising of the large 

 amount of material relating to these super-families that has been 

 already published has been exceptionally difficult, and the variety of 

 information available, especially relating to hybridity and gynandro- 

 uiorpliism, will make these subjects leading features in the volume, in 

 addition to those headings treated in detail in former volumes. 



i^ClENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Experiments ix rearing Lymantria monacha and Clostera 

 cuRTULA IN moist ATMOSPHERE. — Souie time ago I had the pleasure of 

 reading Mr. Tutt's Melonisni and ^[rla^^oc/n•oisnl, and the contents 

 having suggested to me certain experiments, I thought the 

 r^'sults thereof might possibly interest your readers. My experi- 

 ments were directed to show the effect of moisture on lepidoptera in 

 the larval state. For the purpose I used a breeding-cage of the 

 ordinary " safe " kinds, with the exception that there is no perforated 

 zinc at the sides, and that it is practically air-tight. My object was 

 to create a moist atmosphere by means of two vaporising tins sunk to 

 the level of the earth. On the top of the tins was fine perforated 

 zinc, and the tins were filled with hot water twice daily (at 9 a.m. and 

 5 p.m.) by means of a cork and emptied by a valve. Inside the cage 

 was a hygrometer, the reading of which was noted twice daily, as also 

 that of a hygrometer kept in the open air. As I thought it probable 

 some ventilation might be necessary, two ventilators were placed, one 

 high up the other low down, in the cage, but these were never used, 

 as the larvfe did not appear to need it. The dimensions of the cage 

 were 14" wide x 8" deep x 18" high. I have kept a fairly accurate 

 register of the hygrometric readings, but they may be summarised 

 briefly by stating that the irct bulb (inside the cage) registered on an 

 average throughout the experiments, one-half a degree higher than the 

 di-y. (1) I happened to have some ova of Li/mantria uiDuacha, and 

 tliese formed the first subject of my experiments. The ova hatched 

 on the 23rd and 2-lth of April, 1900, when about 48 larvse emerged. 

 They were at first fed on birch, but as the leaves were then hardly 

 sliowing, the catkins had to be substituted. At first the little larvae 

 were very restless, but after a day or two settled down to feeding. On 

 May 3rd some apple was put in with the birch, and, as the larvae 

 seemed to prefer it, eventually nothing but apple was given to them. 

 The first change of skin took place on May 10th, the second on the 



