90 THE entomologist's record. 



In early October, Mr. Albert Lahmann, of Bremen, discovered full- 

 grown larvaj of Chocrocampa celerio on the grape, and was fortunate 

 enough to breed several imagines therefrom, which emerged (in the 

 room) early in December of last year. Bremen seems to be one of the 

 most northern points where this pretty migrant from the south has yet 

 been observed. 



Dr. Ottolengui contributes to Entomological News (vol. vi., pp. 7 et 

 seq.) an interesting paper on " Aberration, variety, race and form." 

 He quotes, in the current number, the opinions and remarks thereon 

 of the Kev. G. D. Hulst and Prof. J. B. iSmith. The summary of the 

 former is worth repeating: — " Genus — Species distinguished by a type 

 different in structure. Sub-genus — Differing in structure, but less. 

 Species — Breeding true to self, but not intergrading. Sub-species — 

 Breeding true to self and rarely intergrading. Kace — Breeding true, ex- 

 cept in intermediate localities. Vakiety — Forms distinct, but inter- 

 grading more or less in any locality. Sub-variety — Forms distinct or 

 not distinct, but the name applying to a variety comparatively infre- 

 quent or not marked. Form — A seasonal or sexual variation somewhat 

 permanent. Variation — An individual variation, infrequent and not 

 generally distinct and not permanent. Abekration — An individual sport 

 or variation, very distinct, without intergrades." 



The following is an interesting note on Ants' nests found in 

 trees in the Amazon Forests. Mr. F. Knab writes (Ent. News): — 

 " Nests are very common on the Lower Amazon ; those I examined 

 a]ipeared to be made of mud, and were inhalnted by a species of large 

 black ant. Sometimes the nests are high up in the crutch of a tree, 

 sometimes quite near the gi'ound. Few probalily know that the common 

 parroq^lets rear tlieir young within these ant nests — a most interesting 

 case of intimate relations between widely different animals. The 

 bird drills a hole into the side of the ant-hive, like a woodpecker's in a 



tree the eggs are laid and hatched out without annoyance 



from the ants, which continue in possession of their home 



Why do ants suffer these intruders ? Once I obtained a set of parro- 

 quet's eggs from one of these nests. An Indian climbed a neighbouring- 

 tree, and, reaching over, with his tercado broke open the nest ; imme- 

 diately the tree and ground below were black with ants. The eggs were 

 taken out, and caught successfully in my insect net, but not until many 

 of the little demons had buried their jaws in our flesh." 



Some amazing statements were recently made by Mr. Arkle of 

 Chester in The Enforuologist as to the sight of insects. He evidently 

 has not read Dr. Sharp's recent paper, " On the Vision of Arthropods " 

 (Trans. Ent. Soc. Loncl.), but it really is high time that off-hand 

 opinions based on want of knowledge should be excluded from our 

 so-called scientific magazines. In his recent address, as President of 

 the Biological Society of Washington, Dr. Kiley (Insect Life, vii., p. 33) 

 says of the sense of sight: — " Much has been written as to the j^icture 

 which the compound eye of insects produces U23on the brain or upon 

 the nerve centres. Most insects Avhich undergo comj)lete metamor- 

 phoses possess in their adolescent states simjile eyes or ocelli, and 

 sometimes groups of them of varying size and in varying situations. 

 It is diiilicult, if not impossible, to demonstrate experimentally their 

 efficiency as organs of sight ; the probabilities are that they give but 



