84 THE entomologist's record. 



and is of pale ochroous or olive-yellow ; the head black ; both head and 

 body are covered with short club-shaped spiracles, the club formation 

 being at the apex ; the longest and finest are situated on the anal 

 segment, those on the head being extremely short but strongly 

 clubbed." A caterpillar has nine pairs of spiracles placed on the sides 

 of certain fixed and well-known segments. It Avould appear that 

 C. edusa has "club-shaped spiracles " covering its " head and body," 

 and that " the, longest and finest are situated on the anal segment." 

 The young larva of <7, ednsa with these marvellous " spiracles," and 

 the egg with " the high lights " and " light copper-pink hue," must be 

 remarkable natural objects. Will Mr. Frohawk explain these peculiari- 

 ties, if there be an explanation ? — J. W. Tutt. 



URRENT NOTES. 



Mr. Piffard calls attention {E. M. M., Oct.) to a peculiarity of 

 Aldeburgh, which can hardly be included among the attractions of that 

 pretty seaside town. This is " the presence in vast numbers of a 

 small species of gnat, which is always busy indoors and out of doors, 

 in shade, and even in bright sunshine, in inflicting a bite which has 

 such a virulent effect on those unacclimatised, that but few hours 

 elapse before each new arrival has the 'mark of the beast' set on him." 

 The inhabitants know the pest by the name of " The Norway mosquito," 

 and believe that it was introduced by a particular yacht Avhich used to 

 ply between Aldeburgh and Norway. Mr. Austen, of the British 

 Museum (Natural History), has identified the insect as Culex dorsalis. 



Mr. J, C. Rickard contributes to The Entomologist for October 

 some observations on Plusia moneta. Between May 28th and June 

 8rd, 1895, he found two larvfe and six pupiB. The imagines emerged 

 therefrom between June 8th and 29th, and imagines Avere captured on 

 June 29th and 30th and July 10th. Eggs laid by the moth captured 

 on June 80th yielded larvae on July 11th. One of these larvse com- 

 menced to spin on August 11th, and the imago emerged on August 29th. 

 Mr. Rickard believes the larvit; to be cannibals. The cocoons, which 

 are nearly as yellow as those of Bombyx viori, are placed on the under- 

 side of a leaf of the food-plant (monkshood) without bending or 

 warping it. The species is double-brooded, but the only example of 

 the second brood that Mr. Rickard knows to have been taken in the 

 wild state was one captured by himself in September, 1890, at Cam- 

 bridge. Mr. Rickard is in error in stating that no specimen is recorded 

 from Essex, as Mr. Oldham exhibited both at the City of London and 

 South London Societies in July, 1893, a specimen captured by him at 

 Woodford on June 2nd in that year. 



The Entomologist for October contains records of the capture of 

 Sphinx conrohmli during the present autumn at x\lnwick, Wrentham, 

 Milford-on-Sea, Bournemouth, Sidmouth, Tunbridge AVells, Aberdeen- 

 shire and Epsom. 



Mr. D. Chittenden records (Ent. Oct.) the capture at sugar of a 

 specimen of Leucania albipuncta, near Ashford, on August 24th. 



:i;i^OTES ON LARYiE, &c. 



On Hybkhnatixg the lakv.t; of Phokodesjia smaragdaria. — My 

 experience of hybernating larvae of P. smaragdaria is, so far as I can 



