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Notes on the habits of Toxocampa craccce. — During a fortnight's trip to 

 the north-coast of Devon, (July 18th — August 3rd), I again had the good fortune 

 to take Toxocampa craccii in the same locality where T first met with it' three 

 years ago. Some account of this species will be interesting to your readers. For 

 the description of the larva I must refer them to the Zoologist, p. 8179 ; and 

 the figure in the AnnuoJl will give a good notion of the imago. 



The eggs are globular, flattened at one pole, and ribbed from pole to pole as 

 with raised meridians ; at first white, then dirty white. They are probably dropped 

 by the female loose among the herbage ; for a female, confined in a roomy box, 

 scattered them broadcast about the bottom, although a sprig of the food-plant 

 (Vicia sylvatica) was kept fresh in a bottle for her use. I found an egg on a leaf, 

 but it was not attached to it, and fell off on moving the box. 



The moth, when disturbed in the day time, flies rapidly for a short distance, 

 and buries itself among the grass and low plants : the best time to take it is in the 

 evening, from 8.30 to 9.30, when it flies slowly and steadily, and spends most of 

 its time in sucking the sweets, or bitters, of the Wild Sage, (its great favourite), 

 the Hemp Agrimony, and other flowers. I once took three at one sweep on a tuft 

 of Wild Sage : when captured it is quiet in the net, and does not knock itself 

 about in a pill-box. A female which T kept to lay was still a good specimen a week 

 after her capture. Another recommendation to an Entomologist is, that it is not 

 subject to grease. In short, its character as a moth is excellent as far as my 

 experience goes, and I have had repeated opportunities of observing it. I have 

 never seen it many yards from its food-plant, and, as its habits are rather sluggish, 

 and the plant is not common, it is no wonder that the insect is scarce and local. 



I am anxious to discover whether, in inland parts where this vetch grows, the 

 moth is also to be found, or whether the neighbourhood of the sea is a necessary 

 condition to its existence, I know of two or three localities for the plant in Wor- 

 cestershire, which I hope to reach another season, and I would advise Entomolo- 

 gists who visit the Lake District to be on the look-out, for, according to Withering, 

 the plant is abundant there. I hope to be able shortly to forward a single specimen 

 each of T. craecce to some of my old correspondents. — Rev. E. Horton. 



Capture of Acidalia rubricata, ^c. — On the 28th of last month (July), in a 

 stubble field near Brandon, SuSblk, I captured nine specimens of A. rubricata. 

 The habits of this insect remind me very much of those of Hyria auroraria. T also 

 took two remarkably fiuo Spilodes slicticalis, and a good variety of 0. Phlaeas. — 

 Fred. Bond. 



Description of the larva of Zenzera Msculi. — On the 10th of Juno a full-grown 

 larva of Z. JSsculi was brought me. As it differs considerably from Ochsenheimer'a 

 description, given in Stainton's Manual, I have ventured to rc-describe it. Larva 

 about two inches long, skin glabrous and semi-transparent, colour greenish grey 

 and the intersections lighter. Head, second and anal segments, dark brown, shining. 

 On each of the Srd and 4th segments are two interrupted transverse lines, and, 

 between them, eight black spots. The other segments are marked with twelve 

 spots, fonning ton longitudinal rows. From each spot arises one short hair. The 

 under surface of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th, and 12th segments are marked by 

 a transverse row of four black spots. — George J. Hearder, Powick, near Worcester. 



