IIG THE entomologist's RECORD 



gence, when few other species claim our attention. — (Eev.) B. Smith, 

 Marlow. April ^rd, 1898. 



^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Notes on rearing Agrotis saucia. — As A. saua'a is a somewhat 

 variable species and very periodic in its appearance, I took the 

 opportunity, when it turned up in some numbers last autumn, of 

 obtaining a few batches of ova in order to be able to rear it. The 

 species did not occur at Lewes in the great numbers that it appears to 

 have done elsewhere, and, in fact, I did not see more than eight speci- 

 mens on the best evening. I had however no diiticulty in obtaining 

 ova, as three females, Avhich were taken, the first on the 27th September 

 and the two others on the 29tli September, laid freely in cliip boxes in 

 the course of the next few days. The Ijatches of ova did iK)t look very 

 large, but I subsequently calculated that they must have laid over a 

 thousand ova between them. I have reason to believe, as the specimens 

 were worn and one only laid comparatively few ova, that this is only 

 a fraction of the number that might be laid in a state of nature. Some 

 of the ova of the first female were moved into a greenhouse, as they 

 began to darken, and hatched on the 16th October, while those in- 

 doors of the same batch hatched on the 18th October. The rest of the 

 ova hatched some days later, and a spell of cooler weather somewhat 

 retarded them. Under ordinary conditions they proljably hatch in a 

 period varying from a fortnight to three weeks. Those larvae Avhicli 

 were kept in the greenhouse fed ravenously from the first, and showed 

 no tendency to hibernate. They appeared to be polj'phagous and very 

 little came amiss to them, though dock, i"ape, cabbage and spinach 

 formed the principal items of their dietaiy. The quite young larvae 

 seemed to feed at all times, but after the second moult they fed princi- 

 pally at night, and rested during the da}' on the underside of the leaves 

 supplied to them. From the time when they were about half-grown 

 until they jmiiated, thej' fed wholly at night, and buried themselves by 

 day under the surface of the earth in the floAver-pots, in Avhich they 

 were kept. The greenhouse in which the first batch, whose fortunes I 

 am tracing were kept, had, during the month of October, a temperature 

 ranging from about 65° l^y day to 50° or less at night, and Avas compara- 

 tively dry. On the 4th November hoAvever, the larA'JB, being then about 

 half-grown, Avere moA-ed into a hothouse with a moist heat ranging 

 between 70° by day to just below 60° at night. On mild damp nights 

 the temperature probably never fell beloAv 60°. The increased night 

 temperature caused them to feed up A-ery rapidly, and they Avent doAvn 

 betAveen the 12tli and 14tli November. For those kejit in this high 

 temperature the pu2)al condition lasted less than three Aveeks, as the 

 first imago appeared on the 1st December, folloAved by eleven on the 

 2nd, and others in rapid succession. Thus it is possible to rear the 

 species from egg to imago in about tAvo months. The rest of the larA'as 

 Avere kept at loAver temperatures, and were brought into the hothouse 

 as they Avere required, so as not to liaA'e too many emerging at the same 

 time. By this means, with a break (purposely arranged for Christmas), 

 they have been emerging, more or less regularly, from the beginning 

 of December to the present time (the end of February), Avhile some are 



