330 THE entomologist's record. 



guRRENT NOTES. 



It is Avith the greatest regi'et that we hear that oiir respected con- 

 temporary The British Naturalist, ceases with the present number. It is 

 much to be regretted that some self-denying naturalist cannot see his 

 way clear to help the Editor in its continuance, especiall}^ if it were to^ 

 revert to its old jiaths as a magazine of " general " natural history. 



Mr. Ealph C. Bradley describes (E.3I.M.) the following Diptera as 

 new to Britain, viz. : — Dactylolahis gracilipes, Lw. ; Goniomyia jeeunda, 

 Lw. ; Ephelia varinervis, Zett. ; Clinocera lanieUafa, Lw., Didea fasciata^ 

 Macq. 



The number of an entire batch of ova of Zeuzera pyrina, is reported 

 as between 1,000 and 1,100 {Insect Life, vi., p. 40). Dr. G. A. Hankins- 

 of Toano, Virginia, rejjorts that "On July 17th, the larvas of Leucania 

 umpunda were in his millet by thousands ; " whilst Professor T. T>. A, 

 Cockerell, on Aug. 9th, reported the larva3 of the same species near Las 

 Cruces " in millions," I.e., p. 41. 



A paj^er on " Parthenogenesis among Si^iders," by N. Damin, Verh. 

 d. k. k. zool.-bot. Gesell., in Wien, 1893, Band xliii. ; II. Quartal., pp. 

 204-6, is worthy of attention. 



An interesting paper on " The androc(h)onia of Lei^idoptera," with 

 plates, by Mr. M. B. Thomas, is published in The American Naturalist,. 

 pp. 1018-1020. A paper on " Animal Intelligence," by Dr. J. Weir, is 

 to be found in the same number (Nov.), j)p. 933-943. 



Another of Dr. Scudder's works (a companion to that reviewed ante,^ 

 J). 260) has come to hand. This is called The Life of a Butterfly, and is 

 thoroughly interesting. The insect known as Anosia pilexipptus or 

 Danais archippus, is taken as the text on which a number of elementary 

 chapters on insect life in general are built w\). To those who do not know 

 all tliat they yet wish to learn about butterflies, we would recommend 

 the purchase of this interesting little work from Messrs. Henry Holt 

 and Co., Kew York, U.S.A. 



We Avould direct the attention of our readers to the fact that the 

 price of Eandoin llccollections of Woodland, Fen and LLiJl, has been 

 reduced to Three Shillings, in order to bring the book within the range 

 of every entomologist and general naturalist. 



goTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



I^etrospectj of a Lspidopterist for 1S93. 



The year of grace 1893 will be handed down as an annus mirahilis- 

 by meteorologists rather than l^y lepidopterists, but to the latter the 

 glorious weather which has been experienced has been esi^ecially 

 welcome. We have no huge migrating hordes to record, but a general 

 abundance of many insects which have been specially well suited by 

 the high temperature and fine weather. From about February 22nd 

 to Nov. 16th we have to write of an almost continual summer with 

 only an occasional break for a few daj'S, whilst for long spells in May 

 and June, and again in Julj^ and August, the da3'S were so brilliant,, 

 the sunshine so unbroken, and the rain so entirely absent, that many 



