292 THE entomologist's record. 



Scientific notes & observations. 



Notes on rearing Dasycampa rubiginea. — A few further notes on 

 the successful rearing of D. rubiginea, this time from the bred insect, 

 may be interesting. The insects kept from the brood of 1892 (atite pp. 

 1-4) were eight in numl)er, two being cripples, 4: 3 and 4 J , and they 

 gave little trouble during the winter. They were su232;)lied with thin 

 syrup on which they occasionally feasted, remaining generally quies- 

 cent under the curled-up Avithered ajiple leaves. They were kept in a 

 room without a lire, facing N.W., and during the severe frost, the box, 

 Avith another covered top in which they Avere, Avas partly Avrapjjed in 

 Avadding. In February I noticed them arranging themseh-es tAvo and 

 two, unlike their previous positions, and I have little doubt that they 

 paired at that time, though none Avere seen in copula. The first eggs 

 Avere deposited on March 4th, the Aveather being unusuall}' Avarra for 

 the season. By March 19th over 100 eggs had been laid, and tlie 

 females continued OA^ipositing till the first Aveek in May, Avlien the three 

 (the cripples died toAvards the end of the Avinter) had deposited betAveen 

 them close on six hundred eggs. Some of these hatched on April oth, 

 and the larvae continued to emerge till tlie middle of May, liut many of 

 those last laid failed to go through their changes, and though the young 

 larA^ag became visilde they died in the shell, and otliers Avere not fertile. 

 I'robably they Avere not kept moist enough considering the hot Aveather, 

 and so got addled. Under similar circumstances, I should be disposed 

 another time to force them. The young larA^je fed wp on apple and 

 dandelion leaves as before, taking, lioAveA^er, at once to the latter much 

 more freely than in 1892, This was fortunate, as there were but few apple 

 leaves out at the time : they refused plum. By April 16th a fcAv had 

 gone througli their first moult, and on May 24th many Asere full-fed 

 and some had formed cocoons. B}' June 2nd all had spun up. As in 

 1892, the lar\'a3 fed on dandelion almost exclusiA'ely after their last 

 moult. The cages Avere kept in an out-house facing N.W.,Avith plenty 

 of air passing through. The imagines emerged first on August 29th, 

 and liaA'c continued coming out to the present time, tvV. October 28th 

 (only three cold days being marked as blank in my diary), in all con- 

 siderably OA'er tAvo hundred in number. I liaA'o found little A-nriation : 

 only in the intensity of the colouring, and that not Aery marked. They 

 all have the Avhite dots more or less developed. Between three and 

 four hundred eggs hatched, and of the larvaj I kejit for myself there 

 Avas a mortality of about five jier cent, during growth. — W. S. Eiding, 

 Buckerell Lodge, nr. Honiton. October 2Sth, 1893. 



Eapid Growth of some Summer Geometr.^. — I liaAC read Avith 

 interest Mr. Walker's notes on the breeding of Ephjra orbicularia 

 (Record, p. 269), as the rapid attainment to maturity of some of the 

 many-brooded Geometree is a matter Avhich I have Avatched somewhat 

 closely. I may cite two rather striking instances from my OAvn note 

 books. 



Coremia ferrugafa. — A batch of OA'a laid June Gth, 1891, hatched 

 June 15th ; larvas spun up July 4th to 6th (duration of larAal state, 19 

 to 21 days) ; imagines emerged July 16th to 20th. Period from egg to 

 imago, 31 days. 



Melanippe sociata. — A batch of ova laid July 15th and 16th, hatched 



