352 THE entomologist's record. 



possibilities. The following day, however, made amends. A few 

 miles out on the Glengariff road I selected a likely spot, and soon was 

 at work with Melitaea anrinia var. praerlara, Cuenonyuiplia ti/phon. 

 Aspilates strigiUaria, Pln/tometra aenea, and Erastria fasciana. The C. 

 typhon were a particularly fine lot, just emerging. They are of very 

 large size and with a very small amount of spotting on the underside. 

 In the evening, Kupithecia venosata, of a dark form, approaching 

 that from Shetland, and what was with very little doubt a speci- 

 men of Diantlinecia raenia, were captured. The latter, how- 

 aver, got into a " paraffiny " box, and identification was 

 hardly possible with certainty. The shape of wing, however, 

 almost certainly fixed the species as D. caesia. The follow- 

 ing day our headquarters were reached, and, as in the immediate 

 neighbourhood, insects still seemed very scarce, a walk was made to 

 Glencar. The same species as before were found plus one worn 

 M. aarinia var. pvaedaia, and several S and ? Xeiiieop/iila ritasida in 

 fine condition. On the 28th, a flying visit was made to Killarney and 

 Tore waterfall. The prizes were not to be found in the short time at 

 one's disposal. Many insects were, however, on the move, Spllote 

 nlmata, Pelurf/a comitata, BoavDiia repandata, and Cidaria truncata, 

 being amongst those secured, and regrets were felt that one could not 

 linger in this charming spot. Sunday, the 29th, helped very 

 materially to swell the still meagre total that we had to show. On 

 the sandhills (which previously had produced nothing) Barathra 

 albicolon, Aifroth vestitiialis, Heliopiiiia littoralis, and Mdanippc ijaliata 

 began to show up, but only the last at all commonly. On the way 

 back to the house, Nndaria imniilmia was found to be swarming, and 

 an acetylene lamp was lighted to attract any other visitors. EapitJiecia 

 vid(fcita, E. casthjata, and a very fine curious-looking E. pidcluilata, 

 with a very narrow central fascia, appeared, and were joined by 

 Spilnsoiiut vwHthastri, with buff forewings, and 8. luhricipeiki, with the 

 deepest buff-coloured wings, the only specimen I have at all cor- 

 responding in colour being one from Bude, Cornwall, also a very 

 western locality. The total result is certainly disappointing, but not 

 so hopelessly bad as to stop another visit being made in the near 

 future.— W. J. Kaye, F.E.S., Caracas, Ditton Hill, Surbiton. 

 November 18«/i, 1902. 



^U RRENT NOTES. 



Dr. Chapman, in his paper on "Inflation in Insects," read before 

 the South London Entomological and Natural History Society, on 

 November 13th, pointed out that a very large nun:iber of insects 

 secreted air apparently into the alimentary canal, in order to increase 

 their bulk and produce tension or pressure, usually in an effete skin to 

 be ruptured. This appeared to be the case in some species of Orina, to 

 rupture the egg-shell and in the same beetles to rupture the old skin 

 at larval moults. It was especially the case in Tipididae a,nd lepidop- 

 tera to rupture the pupal skin, and, in many lepidoptera, to enable 

 pressure to be made for bursting open the cocoon. It is probably the 

 effective agency in forcing fluid into the "frontal vesicle" in Muscidae. 

 In lepidoptera and tipulids it is effective in increasing the blood 

 pressure required for expansion of wings, &,c.. very possibly for the 



