70 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



in rearing a fine series af PImroilesma swaraodaria froni Essex, the bulk 

 of which were from ova obtained by pairing a <? and $ in captivity, 

 the remainder being from larv?e taken wild in the autumn of 1909. 

 The whole of the larvae were hibernated and brought through on garden 

 southern wood. Nearly all the resulting imagines emerged between 

 June 21st and July 13th. Four of the larvae, however, from the egg 

 batch, were found to be still feeding on July 3rd. Two of these only 

 succeeded in attaining the pupa state, and one insect only was finally 

 bred ; this, a J , emerging on August 8th. The moths bred from the 

 eggs were, in many instances, finer than those bred from the wild larvae. 

 When searching in Berkshire for larva) by light, in the middle of May, 

 a dozen and a half larvae of Gnophos obscuraria were taken, feeding on 

 clumps of stunted heath. The larvae, though not full-fed, were fairly 

 well grown, and on returning home they were offered sallow and 

 strawberry as substitutes for heath, which was not easily procurable 

 by me. They seemed to fancy the sallow, but not the strawberry ; 

 although the}' remained up for about three weeks, they fed 

 but very little. Only thirteen changed to pupfe, and from these 

 were bred 5 S s and 5 ? s, all of the dark form, the perfect insects 

 emergmg between August 2nd and August 15th. In May 

 also were bred a good series of Xidiiciia pulveraiia, the progeny 

 of a grand female taken at Hailsham, early in June, 1909, and during 

 June, 1910, a long series of Mi/elois cribrum from larvfe taken in North 

 Kent on May 7th, in thistle stems. In June and July a few Plusia 

 iiioneta, Avere bred for the purpose of renewing my series, the larva? 

 being taken earlier in the year on delphinium in my garden. I 

 cannot say whether P. moneta occurs at Purley generally, the larva3 I 

 had were probably the successors of those brought in the larva state 

 with the delphinium, when removing from Southend (Catford). In 

 July also a short but satisfactory series of Geometra iiajiilionaria were 

 bred from larvaR beaten from birch in Berkshire in May. The larva^ 

 were sleeved and allowed to pupate in the sleeves. The smallest c? 

 and 2 were paired, and from the ova I obtained a brood of young 

 larvae, which are now hibernating on birch in the garden. During the 

 autumn when in Berkshire, with one of ray brothers, the following with 

 other larvie were taken either by searching or by beating ; Amurpha 

 jtojiidi, (T)u>]i/iri(i ri(hricollis, Dasychira jiudibnuda, Drepana lacertiiiana, 

 l>. fair Ilia, Stiuiyojiiis faijl (2), Lophopteryx camdina, Leiocampa 

 dictaeindcs, Xotodonta dromcdarius, N. ziczac, Clostera reclusa, Demas 

 conjli, JJyldpliila j)rasinana, Aniphidasys betularia, Cabera fmsaria, 

 Cidaria rorylata, etc. Most of the above larvte seemed to do well 

 sleeved, but /.. dictaeohlcs is apparently a most difficult larva to get 

 into pupa, and then one is not sure of breeding the perfect insect. In 

 my own immediate neighbourhood I took half a dozen Tkeretra 

 l>(»rclluN larva) on ladies' bedstraw, also several larvae of IHanthoecia 

 cavpnphaya on bladder campion, and from ova obtained from a grand 

 female taken at Oxted, a good series of I'achnobia riibricosa should be 

 bred in the near future. I have many other species lying over in the 

 pupal state, and if all goes well should have a very busy time when the 

 spring arrives and insects commence to emerge. — A. Russell, F.E.S., 

 Wilverley, Dale Road, Purley. 



