PRACTICAL HINTS. 195 



moths, are full-fed in October, spin a silken web, but do not change 

 to pupre until the spring. Disturbance in this stage is usually fatal. 



11. — Macro-lepidopterists should refer to F/nt, Ileron/, vol. i., p. 

 187 (No. 7) for an excellent series of "Practical Hints " on " Field 

 Work for October and November," by Mr. W. Holland. 



Food-plant for larv.e, — I am again feeding the larvfe of Charidca 

 umbra [mariiinata) and HdiotJiis dipmcca on scarlet runner beans (on 

 the green pods), and find that lladcna pid and the Plusiae take to this 

 food so kindly, that I regret not trying DiantJioecia irref/nlaris and other 

 Dianthoeciac, as well as many other species on the same. — F. Norgate, 

 98, Queen's Road, Bury St. Edmunds. September, 1896. 



SOCIETIES. 



City of London Entomological and Natural History Society. — 

 August 18th, 1896.— Exhibits :— Mr. J. A. Clark : a pair of A>,sm 

 IdplKDiaria, bred by Mr. W. M. Christy (see KntomohxjUt, vol. xxviii.). 

 Mr. Bacot : a specimen of Dianthoecia conspersa, and a long series of 

 D. carpnpha(ja, bred from capsules of bladder campion gathered at 

 Boxhill ; also Phma festucae and Leucania Uttoralk from Norfolk. 

 Mr. Sauze exhibited some curios from S. Africa, consisting mostly of 

 ornaments and articles of dress made by the natives, and read some 

 very interesting notes on the habits and disposition of the Kaffirs. 



Sept. 1st, 1896. — -Exhibits : — Porthetria dispar. — Mr. Nicholson 

 exhibited a bred series of large females of Porthetria dispar, in which 

 the subterminal line was very strongly developed on all the wings ; 

 one specimen had the dot on the fore-wings extended to meet the apex of 

 the V-shaped mark. Mr. Tutt said that he had found the species very 

 abundantly at Aix-les-Bains, Bourg d'Aru, Bourg d'Oisans and 

 Grenoble, in the course of his recent entomological trip to the Dauphine 

 Alps. He compared the habits of the species with those of <>ir/i/ia 

 antiqua, there being a striking resemblance between the two species, 

 whilst the manner of egg-laying was very similar to that of the 

 Porthesiai^ (P. rhri/sorrhoea and P. aurijiua). The female specimens 

 of P. dispar at Grenoble were of very large size. Captures 

 AT [pswfCH. — Mr. Frost reported the capture of the following species 

 at Ipswich : — Apatura iris, grey form of At/rotis nii/ricans, A. ptita, 

 with left hind- wing perfect, but much dwarfed, Noctua uinbrosa, N. 

 stitimatiea, X. dahlii, Xi/lop/iasia seolujiaeina, Triphaena fimbria, 

 Apleeta occulta, (Jerif/o viatura, IHantlioeeia eucubali, Jlijdniecia nivtitans 

 and //. palndis, among many other species from Ipswich, where he 

 found butterflies scarce (except Oi/aniris anjiolm, which was unusually 

 abundant). Moths did not come to sugar till after 10 p.m., and con- 

 tinued till 2 and 3 a.m. Cocoons of Saturnia pyri. — Mr. Tutt ex- 

 hibited cocoons of this species. They were large, and the silk very 

 dark in colour. Mr. Tutt explained that the silk was coloured after 

 the cocoon was spun, the silk at the time of the formation of the 

 cocoon being rather pale. After the larva had been at work some three or 

 four days, the dark colour was found to have been applied to the silk. 

 The larvae had spun up among the white paper with which he had 

 lined a little hand-bag, and in which they were carried from Bourg 

 d'Aru to London. The larvae were found near the former place in 

 the Veneon Valley, feeding on what he believed to be a species of 

 P^liamnm, His attention was first drawn to the bush by the denuded 



