CURRENT NOTES. 193 



Melanic larva of Ellopia prosapiaria (fasciaria). — While beating 

 for larva? of E. prosapiaria (fasciaria) in the Tyne valley, near 

 Hexham, on the 18th ult., I secured an entirely black caterpillar of 

 this species, even the head, feet, and ventral area being black. The 

 colour of the ventral surface not quite so deep and decided as the 

 dorsal. As is known, the larva? vary greatly in coloration, here we 

 get the reddish-brown and a sepia-coloured form in about equal pro- 

 portions. I only remember once previously seeing a black larva, and 

 obtained it in the same locality- I obtained thirteen larva? on the 

 above date, they seem scarce this season, but the percentage of melanic 

 larva? to the other forms, based on a few seasons, will approximate 

 about one per cent. only. — G. Nicholson, 26, Lancaster Street, 

 Newcastle. June 1th, 1907. 



URRENT NOTES 



Our valued correspondent, Herr Konst. Freih. v. Hormuzaki, has 

 just published the third part of his Lepidoptera of the Bukowina. It 

 contains the remainder of the superfamilies not already dealt with in 

 parts 1 and 2, viz., from the Pyralides to the Micropterygides. All 

 our students of the geographical distribution of the lepidoptera — 

 especially micro-lepidoptera — will certainly have to refer to this work. 



Commander J. J. Walker has recently given some interesting notes, 

 in the Ent. Mo. Mag., of some of the rarer butterflies in the " Dale 

 collection," now deposited in the Hope Museum, Oxford. It is to be 

 noted that many of the labels are in Mr. C. W. Dale's handwriting, 

 often referring to specimens taken many years before he was born, e.g., 

 " Argynnis dia, 1847," "Melitaea athalia, 1802, 1803," " Chrysophanns 

 virgaureae, 1824," "C. hippothoe, 1824," " C. disj>ar, 1841," " dory las, 

 ZmiL, 8402," etc. One does not doubt that Mr. C. W. Dale may have 

 had materials in his possession that might serve as a guide, in adding 

 the assumed facts in label form, to some particular specimen to be 

 found in the collection, still, details like these, added from 50-90 years 

 afterwards, must only carry their due weight, and must not be put in 

 the same category as labels placed by the captor on a specimen, and 

 preserved in a collection where the labels could not possibly be shifted. 



Mr. A. N. Caudell has recently published (Proc. Unit. St. Nat. 

 Museum) a first class systematic review of " The Decticinae of North 

 America." A considerable amount of exceedingly well-illustrated 

 detail makes this paper exceptionally valuable. 



The Rev. G. H. Raynor has presented to the Cambridge University 

 Museum, the contents of two drawers of his cabinet, comprising the 

 families of Abraxas grossulariata and its var. flavofasciata (lacticol'or), 

 which he exhibited at the British Association Meeting, at Cambridge, 

 in 1904, and, with additional specimens, before the Zoological Society 

 (see Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1906, i., pp. 125-133). The insects 

 illustrate the Mendelian theory of heredity which is just now receiving 

 great attention at the hands of the scientific biologists resident at the 

 University. 



Among all our lepidopterists, are there any who can give us 

 reliable data on the mode of pupation of Ruralis (Thecla) betulae, also 

 reliable notes on (1) dates of capture wild, and (2) dates of emergence 

 in confinement? We shall also be grateful for any information of the 



