34 THE entomologist's record. 



Larv^ of Bombyx quercus, &o. — I do not think it is generally 

 known what omnivorous creatures the larvse of B. quercus and of its 

 var. callunae are. I have had an experience with them this season that 

 I think interesting. Having bred a quantity of the imagines of both 

 of the above insects this summer, I allowed a few that remained, after 

 I had secured a quantity of good s})ecimens, to fly about in the cages 

 and pair, with the result that I had plenty of eggs of each. The larva? 

 of var. callunae hatched a good fortnight before those of B. q7iercus. I 

 fed both on white-thorn at first, but introduced plum with the white- 

 thorn after they had accomplished their first moult. They fed on thus 

 until about the end of September, when I began to consider what I 

 should do with them in the winter. Having a quantity of raspberry 

 canes in my garden, I began giving them the leaves, with a view of 

 more easily getting them to take to blackberry later on, knowing that 

 I could find a few blackberry leaves in sheltered nooks in the hedge- 

 rows all the winter through. They evinced a decided liking for 

 raspberry from the first, the whitethorn being almost untouched so 

 long as any raspberry was left in their cages. Thus things went on 

 until the beginning of November, when my canes began to shed their 

 leaves. Then I thought of rather a queer food-plant, on which, last 

 season, I had reared Lasiocampa quercifolia with some success — laurel 

 leaves. On the day on which I first introduced the laurel to my larva?, 

 they had eaten up all their raspberry, and were racing round their 

 cages, evidently with good appetites. As soon as I had laid a few nice 

 sprigs of laurel among them, they were on to it at once, and in a few 

 minutes every leaf had circular patches cut out all round its margin. I 

 vary the laurel with ivy and they eat both impartially, but they 

 are getting very quiet and sleepy as winter draws on, only exer- 

 ting themselves to eat for a few minutes at a time whenever 

 the sun shines brightly. I ought to add that I keep them under 

 glass, in a cold green-house ; so, up to the present, they have had no 

 experience of frost. Should I succeed in bringing them through the 

 winter, I shall certainly feed them upon laurel, as I believe it to 

 contain very strengthening properties for hybernating larva?, and it 

 will be interesting to see if the imagines of these omnivorous broods 

 differ at all from their cousins who hybernate in the wild state. I will 

 report how I get on with them next year, if successful. — M. A. Pitman, 

 11, Park Lane, Norwich. Dec. Sth, 1894. 



Note on Argyresthia illuminatella. — In the Ent. Record, vol. v., 

 p. 73, is a note mentioning the addition of Argyresthia Uluminatella to 

 the British list, from sjiecimens taken at Forres, by Salvage, among 

 larch, and the capture of a series of very similar specimens at King's 

 Lynn. The larch environment did not strike me at the time, but I 

 would now state, that in 18'Jl, one of the Scotch collectors (Mr. Home, 

 I believe) sent me some cones containing Retinia resinana ; from the 

 fir-shoots on which the cones were, I bred an Argyresthia illuminatella, and 

 put it by as an unknown species. Noting this fact in one of the books 

 of the Exchange Club recently, Mr. Home Avrites, on Nov. 26th, 

 2^894 . — " If ]Vlr. Tutt bred Argyresthia illuminatella from the shoots 

 bearing it. resinana cones, the species is und(uibtedly a native of 

 Morayshire. R. resinana is only found in Scotch fir, but I remember 

 Lord Walsingham urged Mr. Atmore to search for larva? of A. illumina- 

 tella on larch. T spoke to Mr. Salvage as to his capti;re of illuminatella 

 at Forres, but he knew nothing whatever about them." — J. W, Tutt. 



