212 THE entomologist's record. 



now carded and counted, and find they reach the astonishing figure 

 — nine hundred and twenty-four (924). — Id. 



LiPARis DiSPAR AT SouTHSEA. — Your Correspondent in last month's 

 Record {anle, p. 187), has evidently met with some of my L. dispar ; 

 for, just at the back of Southsea Castle, in a side road adjoining, and 

 not fifty yards from Palmerston Road, I turned out a lot of larvae of 

 L. dispar, Selenia illustraria and Ennoinos alniaria {aiituumaria), as 

 they were getting too crowded, and I only wanted to breed a few of 

 each. — John Henderson, Streatham. 



Effect of DARK^JESS during Day on Night-flying Moths. — It 

 may be worth recording, I think, as instancing the effects of light in 

 controlling the flight of lepidoptera ; that during a heavy thunder- 

 storm which occurred here about the loth of August at 2 p.m., the 

 sky reached a darkness about equal to that of twilight, and while this 

 lasted, I observed a number of moths flying around the windows, 

 amongst which I detected the following species : Xylophasia polyod'jn, 

 Leucania paliens, Mamestra brassiccB and Melanippefiuctiiata. — Douglas 

 Stuart Steuart, North Leigh, Prestwich, Lancashire. August 22nd. 



CoREMiA ferrugata AND UNiDENTARiA. — In reference to the above 

 question now being discussed in the Record, I think Mr. Pierce deals 

 unwarrantably hard with Mr. Prout. He seems altogether to scout the 

 idea of superficial markings and structure as being of any importance 

 whatever. According to his unfailing 'method of distinguishing the 

 species, we are as badly off as ever as regards the females, Mr. Pierce's 

 method being applicable only to the males. We are also to destroy 

 our series of both species by breaking off the bodies of all the males in 

 order to find out the difference in the structure of the genital organs. 

 If this is to be the only way to distinguish the species, I think we may 

 as well do away with the differentiation of the species altogether, or else 

 acknowledge and support the efforts of those who are trying to dis- 

 tinguish the species, not only by superficial markings, as Mr. Pierce 

 infers, but by the structure and habits of all stages of the insect. — W. 

 Bloomfield, 14, Canterbury Road, Ball's Pond Road, N. September ^th. 



Keeping Micro Pup^ during the Winter. — I quite agree with 

 Mr. Farren about keeping micro pups out of doors. It is absolutely 

 necessary with some species, and good for many others, if not all. In 

 the genus Nepticula the results are very striking, but I have found less 

 difference in regard to Lithocolletis (except L. hintanella, and perhaps 

 some others). Coleophora does best out of doors ; in breeding C. 

 ther'.nella, for instance, I plant a thistle in a large flower-pot, low do-vn 

 in tlie pot, and leave the larvae in this all the winter, out of doors, with 

 a piece of muslin over the top of the pot. They spin their cases on to 

 the sides of the pot^ and come out well, requiring no food in the 

 spring. Some of the macros do not seem to like so much exposure. 

 I think that exposure is more important where the larva spin their 

 cocoons in autumn, bat do not become pup:€ until the spring. — N. M. 

 Richardson, near Weymouth. August iT^th, 1892. 



Times of Emergence. — I have this year bred both Notodoiita 

 dictcea and N. dictceoides, from larvae collected last year on Cannock 

 Chase ; and while the former invariably emerged between 9 and 1 1 at 

 night, the latter made their appearance in the afternoon. This strikes 

 me, in the case of two species so very nearly allied, as very remarkable. 



