154 THE entomologist's record. 



reared a number of larvae. Now I had never detected saiellitia in an 

 act of cannibalism, and therefore I rather pressed the matter ; I had a 

 score of larvse in a small tumbler, and finally kept seven together, also 

 in a small tumbler, till they were full-grown, often starving them a good 

 deal, yet they did to each other no injury whatever. Calymnia trape- 

 zina is no doubt the most determined cannibal, and I once reared the 

 moth, having given the larva from a size of about a quarter grown only 

 animal diet. There are other species that seem rather to like it, and 

 some that only do it when crowded together. Xylina, especially /^/r/- 

 ficata, is given to cannibalism, and this tendency is much aggravated in 

 captivity ; at large, the larva is solitary, and when half-grown goes for 

 more succulent food, generally leaving the trees and taking to low 

 plants, and if not supplied with more juicy material in captivity will do 

 badly and die, but will, if opportunity offers, try cannibalism as a means 

 of adding to the moisture of its pabulum. Other species, such as 

 vaccifiii, also crave low plants and succulent food when half-grown, but 

 no provocation will make them cannibals. The total list of occasional 

 or frequent cannibals must be a long one. I have met with a consider- 

 able number but have kept no note of them. Satellitia belongs, no 

 doubt, to the occasional class, under the pressure of too dry a diet ; 

 but I may repeat that I have, even so, never detected it. — T. A. Chap- 

 man, Firbank, Hereford. June, 1892. 



//VARIATION. 



Strange aberration of Dasychira pudibunda. — I have lately 

 bred a very curious specimen of Dasychira pudibunda, from a larva 

 taken in Epping Forest on the 29th August last. The specimen has a 

 large patch on the upper side of each forewing completely devoid of 

 scales. The hindwings are similarly affected, the scaleless portion 

 extending from the base of the wings to about the middle. On the 

 underside, the forewings each have a smaller scaleless patch (corre- 

 sponding with the upper half of the patch on the upper side), and the 

 space on each side of the principal nervure of the hindwings, extending 

 from the base to the crescent-like spot, is almost entirely devoid of 

 scales. Altogether the specimen presents a very peculiar appearance, 

 especially when held up to the light. A remarkable thing about the 

 insect is that the scaleless portions of the wings are the same size and 

 shape on each side. The only reason that I can think of for this 

 curious malformation, is that it was caused by some accident to the 

 pupa or larva, but this seems doubtful on account of the perfect 

 symmetry of the scaleless patches on each side. The insect is a male, 

 and in all other respects is perfectly well developed. — Henry A. Hill, 

 132, Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, N.W. 27M April, 1892. 



Variation of Odonestis potatoria. — The variation to which this 

 species is subject seems to me full of interest, and worth following out. 

 I have in my collection ten females all bred from larvae taken in one 

 year, and all under the same conditions. No two of the ten are exactly 

 alike, either in colour or markings. Four of the females have the 

 colouring of the males, though not quite so red in hue. I have never 

 seen a male with the yellow colouring of the female, though I have 



