52 THE entomologist's record. 



groundsel and chickweed. Under this somewhat heroic treatment the 

 whole of the caja larvae gradually died off, one by one, but the villica 

 did not do so badly — one or two were accidentally killed and others died 

 — but finally twenty were full-fed and were then removed to an ordinary 

 breeding cage to spin up and pupate. This they did with the exception 

 of three, which died in the attempt. Five emerged cripples, but the 

 remaining twelve were perfect insects — eleven of these did not differ 

 from the ordinary form, but the twelfth turned out a rather curious var., 

 smaller than the type and darker, with the light spots on the fore-wings 

 much smaller than usual, and with a broad black band on the outer 

 margin of the hind-wings, which extended about half-way up the wings, 

 giving the whole insect a peculiar appearance. I have placed the 

 specimen in the Exhibition box, so that my confreres of this basket may 

 see it. — T. Maddison. January 2^tli, 1892. 



Morphology of the Lepidopterous Pup/E. — I have waited in • 

 vain to see some reference made in the Entomological magazines to 

 Mr. E. B. Poulton's paper, read before the Linnaean Society, on the 

 above subject {lyans. Linn. Soc, vol. v., part 5, Aug., 1890). Is it 

 possible that entomologists are still unaware that in the majority of cases 

 discrimination of the sex of pupse is easy ? If they knew it, one would 

 expect to see some notice of the fact in our entomological literature, 

 as it would be a convenience, especially where one obtained pups for 

 the purpose of pairing and breeding. — Geo. C. Griffiths, Clifton, 

 Bristol. [I must own my complete ignorance of the existence of this 

 paper, and must say that whilst we have a Society devoted entirely to 

 matters entomological, the scattering of strictly entomological papers 

 in the Transactions of the Zoological and Linntean Socieites is much to 

 be deplored, as 99 out of 100 of the Fellows of these Societies are 

 not entomologists, and many entomologists are not Fellows of these 

 Societies. — Ed.] 



The Genus Hepialus.^ — Whilst I do not undervalue the study of 

 the surface markings on the wings of lepidoptera, I think the habits, as 

 well as the structure, are of at least equal importance, and perhaps, in 

 some cases of even greater interest. But the "collection" we are 

 desirous to make, is too often the item of first importance with us, and 

 we study the habits and peculiarities only so far as they will help us to 

 secure a fine series. Common species consequently receive but scant 

 attention, and when in addition to being common, an insect is difficult 

 or impossible to rear from its earlier stages, we get our series filled as 

 satisfactorily as possible, and trouble ourselves no more about it. The 

 " Swifts " come under these conditions ; the perfect insects are all 

 common and easily obtained, but the larvae feed below the surface of 

 the earth, — some of them for at least two years, — and they are so 

 difficult to manage, that few, indeed, have succeeded in rearing them 

 from the egg. It will be most orthodox if I begin my remarks with 

 this earliest stage, the egg. These in all cases are dropped by the 

 female among the herbage as she flies over it. Mr. Buckler mentions 

 the fact in relation to velleda. " The eggs were scattered by the parent 

 moth on the ground, amongst the stems of fern {Fieris aqnilina), during 

 the month of June" {Larvce, etc, vol. ii., pp. 54-55). Of hecius he 



^ Abstract of a paper read by Mr. J. E. Robson before the City of London Ent. 

 Soc, February i8th, 1892. 



