70 THE entomologist's record. 



S. mercurella and cratcegella^ common on fences ; Nomophila noduella 

 and Pyrausta purpiiralis, two specimens of each on the railway embank- 

 ment ; Scapula prunalis, one ; Paraponyx stratiotata, one on Jijne 22nd, 

 1885 ; Cramhus pascuellus^ uliginosellus^ 2i.VL^ fiircatellus,^ one of each on 

 fences in 1888 ; C. trisfellus, two at rest ; Epkestia eluteUa, fairly common 

 on a fence near Dulwich Wood ; Rodophcea /iiarmorea, one on August 

 5th, 1887. I hope other entomologists will follow up these notes with 

 their observations, so that we may have ere long a complete record of 

 the fauna of South London. — W. D. Cansdale, London Road, Forest 

 Hill, S.E. March, 1891. 



Times of Emergence. — I trust Miss Kimber will forgive me if I 

 say that in my experience in breedmg lepidoptera, extending over 

 30 years, I have found, generally speaking, no exact data of the kind she 

 mentions (vol. i.p.342). Species, according to my observation, emerge from 

 the pupa with some connection to the habits of the imago. Day fliers are 

 excluded in the early hours, but the majority of insects which fly at 

 dusk or at night have really no time specially at which they emerge. I 

 am now breeding Tceniocampa instabilis. It is a fair type of the genus 

 of which I have bred every one but kitcographa. They all emerge from 

 7.30 a.m. to II p.m. — a wide range. The same may be said of most 

 Noctuaj. The butterflies emerge in the day-time; so do the day-flying 

 Sphingidte, and many Tortrices and Bombyces, but I am sure it is the 

 exception and not the rule for a species to have any special time for 

 emergence. Of the insects Miss Kimber mentions, I have bred 

 Notodonta trimacula as late as 10 p.m., Drepana lacertula from 9 a.m. 

 to 5 p.m., Arctia mendica from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Chesias spartiata at 

 every time of day, and also Agriopis aprilina, Etipithecia sobrinafa, and 

 Nola cucuUatella. The position or aspect of the receptacle of the pup.^ 

 is the determining influence, as a fall of temperature will stay the 

 emergence of any species. What I have particularly remarked is the 

 effect of the prevailing wind on the emergence of bred insects. Over 

 and over again in breeding insects in large numbers, I have found that 

 the moment the wind went round to the east the emergence stopped, 

 and was only resumed when a change occurred, or the temperature rose 

 on the eve of such an event, which is often the case. — C. Fenn. 

 March 2nd, 1 89 1. 



With reference to times of emergence, I bred last year several hundreds 

 of butterflies varying in size from Po/yoimnafi/s amphidainas to Papilio 

 alexanor, and I noticed that they all emerged before 1 1 a.m., the greatest 

 bulk of them appeared between 9 and 10 a.m. I also bred a large 

 number of moths of many species, but they emerged at all sorts of 

 times, except the day-fliers which appeared to follow the butterfly rule. — 

 T. Maddison. Match ith, 1891. 



As Mr. Fenn says, day fliers must generally emerge in the morniii:, 

 and Mr. Maddison's butterflies amply seen\ to bear this out. My 

 brother used to take Sesia bembeciforviis between 7 and 8 a.m., sitting 

 on the poplars just after they had emerged ; and I have myself done so, 

 and have taken .S". apiformis in the same manner. It is, I fancy, the 

 best method of obtaining these insects. They {S. bembeciformis) never 

 come out after 8 a.m. My brother took a large series of these, but I 

 have only taken a few S. apiformis, and so cannot speak with certainty 

 ^ These are remarkable as London insects.- — ^Ed. 



