•>[)>') THE KN'l'()5l<>I.n<;Ts'r's ■UF.i'oRli. 



I also observed a slight difference in the favourite resting posture, rivata 

 appearing to be more partial to a straight, or nearly straight posture, 

 whether holding on with its fore-legs, or not, sociata to an attitude 

 more or less curved. Many of the sociata entered their third skin on 

 September 3rd, the riouta on September 4th ; that day I again compared 

 tlie latter with a backward sociata, which had been isolated for the 

 purpose, i.e., one which also had only recently entered this skin. As 

 is usual with the Larentiidae, the characteristic markings now apjiear, 

 and the two species are now exceedingly similar, much more so than 

 in the previous skin ; a very careful com})arison led me to doubt 

 Avhether there was any difference except those slight variations, which 

 one constantly ()l>serves ])etween individuals of the same species, 

 or even of the same brood. Rivata was a trifle larger and paler, the 

 dorsal pattern being in a lightish brown, instead of dark brown as in 

 sociata (dorsal spots and sub-dorsal line in sociata, nearly black) ; the 

 V-mark on the face, on the other hand, was perhaps the better defined 

 in rivata. Compared again two days later (September 6th), I made the 

 following notes : — " Dorsal line on hind segments quite black in rivata, 

 o'reenish-gi'ey in sociata, dorsal pattern also generally presenting a 

 different appearance : in both, a series of indistinct dusky arrow-head 

 markings pointing forwai"d, l:)ut in sociata fairly clear whitish borders 

 these interiorly, while in rivata the whitish is very ill-defined, except 

 a clear tchite spot in the apex ; in rivata, too, the segment-incisions are 

 somewhat broadly orange-brown, more contrasted with the ground 

 colour (dirty gi-eenish-brown) than in sociata."'' On or aliout Sej^tem- 

 ber 10th, the sociata entered their fourth and last skin, r/ra /a folio wing 

 a day or two later. Compared on September 13th, they were still very 

 similar, but rivata was the more richly coloured; the ground coloui- 

 richer lu'own, and the pattern much more distinct, the white dorsal 

 spots still large and conspicuous, and the dark external shading of the 

 " arrow-heads " well pronounced, its hinder half cpiite black ; in .>iociata 

 the prima rista appearance ])eing of an almost unicolorous dorsal surface, 

 except the black dorsal lines on segs. 2-3 and 10-13. In rivata I also 

 noticed a conspicuous l)lack spot on the side of segs. 8 and 9 (?), whieli 

 were generally absent in sociata, or very ill-defined. In their final 

 skin, the sociata gained another day or two on rivata, the latter going 

 to earth between September 21st and 22nd, about a day and a half after 

 the most backward sociata. From these comparisons, it would appear 

 that there is no period of the larval existence Avhen the two larva? shoA\' 

 any differences of obvious specific value, though such differences could 

 doubtless be made out from the eggs ; I did not observe the difference 

 l)etween the structure of the dorsal "arrow-head" between the 4th and 

 5th segments of the larva, which Hellins emphasises. As for the 

 imagines, though I have sometimes seen series mixed in good collections, 

 yet this must be due to carelessness. I have never met with a good 

 entomologist who could not discriminate the two with attention. — 

 L. B. Prout, 12, Greenwood Eoad, Dalston, N.E. Oct. 4:th, 1894. 



OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Apamea ophiogramma in London. — The paper dealing with this 

 species which was read by Mr. Battley before the City of TiOndon En- 

 tomulogical Socit'ty on Sept. 3rd, 1891 ( Eut. lice, vol. ii., p. 191) in- 



