186 THE entomologist's record, 



obtain ova, only one deposited, and, forced by the same mysterious 

 power which for years had controlled the ovipositing of her ancestors, 

 at once commenced operations by probing every portion of the box 

 likely to afford a suitable nick or cranny for the reception of her ova, 

 but in vain. Nothing daunted, however, she next turned her attention 

 to her companion, and after a moment's deliberation proceeded to 

 insert her long ovipositor between the left upper and under wings, and 

 disposed of ovum No. i. As it would take up too much space 

 to describe all the manoeuvres attending the deposition of each ovum, 

 I need only say that on the next morning no less than thirty ova were 

 deposited on the under wing and in the interstices between the legs 

 and thorax. I am keeping the specimen as a curiosity. — D. H. S. 

 Steuart, Royal College of Science, Kensington, W. July 2\st, 

 1891. 



Sesia SPHEGiFORMis IN BIRCH. — I bred a specimen of S. sphegiformis 

 from birch this year. — A. Robinson, Brettanby Manor, Darlington. 



Larvae of Nemophora fasciellus. — I havC; this afternoon, been 

 collecting a few larvK of Nemophofa fasciellus, but they were so few 

 and far between that I think I must have been too late (I usually go 

 for them about April 21st). They are most interesting, and a short 

 note on their habits in the larval and pupal states may be interesting. 

 I'heir case is a very beautiful one, shaped somewhat like a fiddle, and 

 open at both ends ; they feed by night, eating holes in the leaves of 

 their foodplant {Ballota ?iigra), and in the day hide at the roots, where 

 it is very difficult to find them, as they do not hold on, but allow them- 

 selves to roll further down among the roots when the plant is disturbed; 

 and what seems to me a peculiar thing for a case-maker to do — they 

 pupate in their cases beneath the surface of the ground. — W. Farren, 

 Fern House, Union Road, Cambridge. Jioie, 1891. 



BoMBYx quercus LARVA PUPATING IN AuGUST. — -Last Saturday, 

 29th August, I took in the Warren, Folkestone, a full-fed larva of B. 

 qiierrus which commenced to spin up yesterday. It seems a strange 

 time to find a full-fed larva of this species. — W. G. Mackmurdo, 

 Aldersbrook, Wanstead. [Normally B. quercus hybernates small in the 

 larval stage in the South of England, although occasionally it does so in 

 the pupal stage. In the North of England and in Scotland the insect 

 hybernates normally in the pupal stage and becomes what is generally 

 known as callunce. — Ed.] 



The Lateness of the Season. — The following dates speak for 

 themselves : — August 15th, Notodouta ziczac. 22nd, A. lactana (2). 

 24th, N. dictcBa. All in fine condition. — C. Fenn, Lee. 



Curious Foodplant of Smerinthus ocellatus. — A few days 

 ago I took a larva of this species nearly full-fed on an isolated bush of 

 wild plum. No other bushes or trees were within thirty yards. — Id. 



Hadena porphyrea (satura) in Cambridgeshire. — I have still 

 the capture of another rare species to record. During the last two 

 nights of my stay at Wicken. I took from the sugar what I thought 

 were Hadena adus/a, a species I had never seen alive. As all my 

 macros were sent, during the last week of my stay, direct to my friend 

 Mr. Page to set, I paid no more attention to them until yesterday, 

 when, taking them from the boards, I at once saw the error I had 

 made and the value of mv captures. The following records of the 



