SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 



191 



the Noctuids in July, they are easily taken by searching with a light 

 after dark. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Successful rearing of Amorpha populi ^ and Smerinthus 

 ocELLATA $ . — Later I propose publishing a full description, with 

 figures, of an imago reared from a crossing of Amoriiha iiopuU $ with 

 Smerinthus ocellata ? , the reciprocal cross to S. hybr. Injbridna, 

 Stephs./'' so at present I merely propose stating the following bare 

 facts leading up to the successful rearing of the same. In the year 

 1900, I obtained, between May 19th and June 16th, pairings between 

 Amorpha populi J and Smerinthus ocellata 5 , which remained 

 together some twenty hours, i.e., the normal copulation period of these 

 species. A single pairing thereof. May 19th to 20th, 1900, yielded on 

 June 4th, one properly developed larva, which came to grief through 

 an unfortunate accident. Larvfe developed in several hundreds of 

 eggs of this cross, but most of them only to a certain point, then they 

 died without making an attempt to break through the shells. In the 

 year 1901, 1 repeated the attempt, and obtained between May 20th and 

 June 28th, eighteen pairings between A. populi $ and N. ocellata $ . 

 One pairing May 21st to 22nd, yielded, on June 7th, in all, six 

 larvaj, all six monstrosities, which died off Avithout taking any food. 

 A pairing on June 25th to 26th yielded eighteen larvte, thirteen of 

 which, like the early six, were monstrosities and died without taking 

 food. Five of the larvae, however, fed normally (among them one, 

 which, to a limited extent was a monstrosity). Of these five larvae 

 two pupated normally. On March 20th, 1902, one moth emerged, and 

 the second on May 11th. The moths are nearer Amorpha pojiuli than 

 those resulting from the pairing of .S'. ocellata $ and populi $ , 

 but yet show unmistakable indications of the eye-spot of S'. ocellata. 

 For these experiments in the crossing of Amorjiha jiopuli ^ and 

 Stnerinthus ocellata J , several thousand, mostly dug, pupfe were 

 used.— (Dr.) M. Standfuss, Zurich. Mai/ llth, 1902. 



Classification of the Gracilariides. — Dr. Chapman, in a recent 

 paper read before the South Ljudon Entomological Society, discussed 

 the affinities of the " Gracilarian cohort," or, as we should term it, 

 the superfamily Gracilariides. His conclusions are summarised as 

 follows : — 



A. Superfamily : Gracilakiides. 



Fam. I : Gracilariid.e. — Larva with Gracilarian Irophi in first two or moie 

 stages. Pupa incomplete, 1-4 abdominal segments fixed. 



Subfam. 1 : Gracilariin.'e. — First two larval stages Gracilarian. 



Genus 1 : Gracila7-ia. 



Genus 2 : Corisciiim {(■KriilipciDicllum). 



Genus 8 : Oniix. 

 Subfam. 2 : Lithocolletin.^;. — First three or more larval stages Graci- 

 larian ; 6 or 7 larval instars. 



Genus 1 : Litlioi-olU'ti!< (European group). 



* We have already, in Ilritish Lepidoptera vol. iii., p. 390, named this cross 

 Amorpha hybr. inversa (=populi (? x ocellata ? ), and have suggested that we have 

 considerable doubt whether all the individuals recorded as belonging thereto had 

 really this parentage. It is, theref ire, with great pleasure that we received from 

 Dr. Standfuss a note to the ellect that he had at last been successful in rearing 

 this form. — Ed. 



