188 [January, 



All the localities motioned by those continental entomologists are, of course, 

 inland. In England, so far as I know at present, this species seems to be confined 

 to barren sandy spots on the coast, saving the sandy fields more than twenty milea 

 from the sea at Brandon in Suffolk, where Mr. Barrett found lotella quite at home ; 

 but then he tells us that these said sandy fields were, according to geologists, " a 

 "range of coast sands at a recent point of the post-glacial period." 



Supposing these sandy localities in Germany to be of similar origin, lotella still 

 holds its place as a littoral insect, though with a change of taste as to food-plant.— 

 William Buckleb, Ems worth : November \lth, 1874. 



Hozo to rear Bomlyx rulifrcm the larva. — I believe there are so many who, 

 like myself, can recal numerous instances of failure in attempts to rear this Bomhyx 

 from the larva, that I make no apology for offering an account of a method which 

 has met with a very fair amount of success. I know there are other methods, which, 

 perhaps, have succeeded as well ; we have heard of keeping the larvro quite toi-pid 

 through the winter in an ice-house, of keeping them warm and quite dry at the back 

 of a kitchen chimney, and I know by late friend, Mr. Dorville, had good success with 

 his plan, which was to keep the larva) in a largish box, with the cover partly of wood 

 and partly of perforated zinc ; this was half filled with peaty tufts of grass, &c., and 

 kept all the winter, somewhat sheltered from wet, but otherwise open to the weather, 

 so that in frost the larvse could bury themselves for warmth, and in open weather 

 coidd come up and enjoy the sun. However, the plan I am about to describe, by 

 permission of the Rev. E. T. Daubeny, Eector of Bcdhampton, Hants, differs from 

 all the above, and may probably be found very convenient for some other Entomo- 

 logists to follow ; it is good to have a choice of methods, that each may take the one 

 suited to his circumstances. 



In September and October, 1872, Mr. Daubeny collected seventeen larvae of 

 B. rubi, and acting on the hint afforded him by the situation of their habitat, he 

 resolved to fulfil the conditions he there observed as closely as circumstances would 

 allow : and these were highly favourable for his purpose, with a verdant lawn, open 

 and gently sloping towards the south, and at no gi-eat distance from the shore, but 

 sheltered on the cast by a range of buildings, and from the north and west by a high 

 wall and screen of trees ; here, on a slight eminence, by the roots of a Yucca, was 

 the spot that suggested itself as best for perfect drainage, and exposure to the sim. 



Accordingly, the larva> were all established together on the short turf under a 

 garden hand-glass with a moveable top, the frame of the glass being sunk into the 

 ground to a depth of about three inches to prevent escape, and they were fed with 

 heather : — of course some pains were taken to keep their dwelling in a wholesome 

 condition, and fresh heather was duly supplied until they had ceased to feed, and, 

 indeed, even afterwards, at intervals, all through the winter, and this proceeding, 

 together with an occasional shifting of the top of the glass, promoted ventilation and 

 prevented mouldincss ; and opportunity was taken to notice that the larvae formed 

 for themselves liibemacula in little cavities hollowed out in the turf close to the 

 roots of the grass. 



As spring came on, a few larvse began to appear on sunny days amongst the 

 grass, which had grown almost too liigh for the hand-glass, and on the 21st of March, 

 1873, Mr. Daubeny determined on clearing it outj and while doing this, it struck 



