CURRENT NOTES. 157 



term which is most necessary in all revisional work and wliich should 

 only he missed wiiere tlie combined term is original. 4, A reference 

 in Catalogues to a figure and, where more than one is extant, the 

 citation of a standard work for this purpose. All otlier references 

 should fall away and no references should be made to the Government 

 Keports of economic entomologists. New names should not be 

 proposed in such Reports as not securing adcfjuate ]iul)lioation. 



Mons. J. Kiinckel d'Herculais describes (Comptes Rendus, cxix., 

 pp. 244-247) the means by which the Acrtdiidae bury the abdomen in 

 the ground for the purpose of ovii)osition. There is no perforation of 

 the ground, the hinder part of the body is merely forced into it ; as 

 the Arabs say the female " plantent." On dissecting females wliose 

 abdomina had reached the maximum of distension, the author 

 was surprised to find that tlie abdomen was filled with air ; on the air 

 being withdi-awn the abdomen was reduced from 8 to 5 cm. in length. 

 When the position is firmly taken up, the females of the migratory 

 locust maintain the parts of their genital armour as widely separated 

 as possible and secrete a viscous mateinal which agglutinates tlie 

 grains of sand or the particles of earth at the bottom of the cavity ; 

 they then begin to lay their eggs. These and the viscous material are 

 emitted simultaneously, but the latter is peripheral and so consolidates 

 tlie walls of the cavity, which has the curved form of the abdomen. 

 When the eggs are laid the viscous material continues to be shed, and 

 on drying forms a stopper which protects the cavity. 



The Siplionaptera is a new order of insects, the embryology and 

 history of which Dr. Packard, of Boston (U.S.A.), has just completed 

 the investigation of in an elaborate memoir of forty-three pages. This 

 new order he regards as standing nearer the Diptera or two-winged 

 flies than any other, but with many points of relationship to the 

 beetles. The species are, unfortunately, too well known. For the new 

 order to which the industrious Boston zoologist has devoted so many 

 studious hours is composed of the ancient fleas I — Daily Chronicle, 

 March (ith, 1895. 



Bractical hints. 



A HINT FOR BREEDERS OF Hawk MO I hs. — Haviiig had Several lai'va? of 

 Acherontia atropofi and other Hawk moths brought to me during the 

 ])ast season in an advanced stage of growth, I successfully tried tlie 

 following plan to enable them to accomplish their transformation to 

 pupai. I took a large flower-pot and })ut into it the u>ual crocks for 

 di'ainage, and upon these not less than an inch of moist earth. On this 

 I placed the larva, and then inverted a smaller 2)ot (or thn u[)per half 

 of one) over it, so as to enclose it in a chamber at least as large as the 

 original cocoon would l)e. I then filled up the large pot with moist 

 earth, taking care tiiat this should entirely cover what 1 may call the 

 artificial cocoon, and left it so for at least three weeks. In every case 

 in which I have tried this plan, I have succeeded not only in getting a 

 perfect pupa but, so far as the A. atropos are concerned, a perfect imago 

 as well. The imagines of the other species liave of courseinot yet 

 emerged. Similar larvae covered with damp moss or earth failed com- 

 pletely. I may add that the same treatment was successful in the case 



