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THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



died, and some escaped by gnawing a hole through the covering. I 

 fancy they are cannibals, too, and they certainly are carnivorous in 

 a state of nature, I should say, as, when I was down in Suffolk, at 

 Easter, I found the larva? wandering about on the reeds at night 

 evidently searching for prey, whilst no sooner had I put one into a box 

 containing a young larva of Noctua xanthographa than it attacked it, 

 and in a very short time had eaten the whole except the head. The 

 young larva? of Leucania straminea were fairly plentiful wandering 

 about the reeds at the same time, and I expect they form one 

 of the items in the bill of fare of the larva of S. itlvae. About 

 the middle of May my larva? all spun a slight cocoon in the 

 top of the cut reed-stems, covering the opening where the stem had 

 been cut with a thin web, and changed to slender chrysalids, head 

 upwards, the perfect insects emerging in about five or six weeks' time. 



While splitting the reeds in December, I came across a larger larva 

 snugly ensconced inside a reed near the root, in a sort of cocoon, or 

 rather, I should say, with a thin film of silk above and below it. 

 About February, I noticed, or thought I noticed, that this larva had 

 changed colour to a leaden, corpse-like hue, and, as it made no response 

 whatever to my unscientific proddings with a blunt pin, I at last 

 concluded it was defunct, and threw 7 it away with the piece of reed con- 

 taining it. Some weeks after, my little girl, who has a very keen eye 

 for larva?, brought me, in great triumph, the same larva still in its 

 piece of reed, and to please her I put it into a large pill-box, and kept 

 it, as it was looking a better colour, and I fancied had slightly changed 

 its position in the reed. About the beginning of May it turned to a 

 pupa, and produced a nice specimen of Leucania obsoleta about the 

 middle of June. I have given its history somewhat fully, as it con- 

 tains useful hints on the way to successfully rear this insect. 



I found Stilbia anomala larva? fairly abundant in one part of a 

 wood in Hampshire, on March 7th, feeding on tufts of a hair-grass 

 which I believe is Aim caespitosa. As seems to be the case with 

 so many Noctuid larva?, these were coloured, some green, and some 

 brown, with intermediate shades. A good many were full-fed, but 

 some were quite small, and these, I think, all produced solitary 

 ichneumons. These larva? seem a bit difficult to rear, as, after they 

 have spun up, they remain for a long time in their cocoons without 

 changing to pupa?, and tend either to dry up or go mouldy. Some 

 pupated in the middle of the tufts, and some in the loose earth round. 

 The perfect insects began to emerge about August 12th. 



I had to be in Southampton on business, on May 10th, and ran 

 over. to Brockenhurst for the night. Aleucis pictaria was then worn, 

 but I found the red aberration of Taeniocampa gracilis in good condi- 

 tion and not uncommon. The next day I found a few larva? of 

 Oenistis quadra, Cleora lichenaria, and C. glabraria, all of which fed 

 up well and emerged successfully in due course. 



In July I was again down in Suffolk, and with the Eev. A. P. 

 Waller planned a campaign against the various marsh insects, 

 including Leucania favicolor. We rigged up a sheet and a powerful 

 motor head-light, the first night in the marsh where Scuta ulvae 

 occurred, but, though the illumination was brilliant enough to terrify 

 the gamekeeper, the wind was so strong that very few moths turned up. 

 The chief excitement was caused by the frantic efforts which the 



