112 ; October. 



8phir,iD cnnx^olmili at Kingussie, Inverness-shire. — Mr. William Duck has sent to 

 the British Museum a male specimen of Sphinx convolDuU captured at Kingussie, 

 N. B. The specimen is quite spoilt, but I thought the locality might be worth noting. 

 I see Edinburgh given in the ' Manual,' but as I know nothing of the authority, I send 

 you an undoubted one. — Fredk. Smith, British Museum : 2nd September, 1875. 



[In the ' Scottish Naturalist,' vol. i, p. 118, S. convolvuli is stated by Mr. Traill 

 to have been taken at Ilarray, Orkney. The species is not included in Zetterstcdt's 

 ' Insecta Lapponica,' nor (as a real Finland insect) in Tengstrom's ' Catalogus Lepi- 

 dopterorum Fauna; Fennicse." — Eds.]. 



On collecting and rearing the Psychidce. — The rearing of the larvaj of the 

 PsychidcB, ■whatever certain authors may say, is very simple and easy ; but certain 

 thiugs must be specially attended to, and if they are not observed to the letter, there 

 vrill be no development of the perfect insect. 



The first point (and this I think is opposed to the practice of collectors) is to 

 collect the cases as soon as possible after the winter is well set in, in order to avoitl 

 Ichneumons, the sworn enemies of Lepidopterists ; and because, as I have proved, 

 there is a much more numerous development of the perfect insects when the cases 

 are taken before they have been fixed, probably because the larvae cannot endure 

 disturbance at the time they are changing to pupse, or even the pupiB, for I have 

 often found that a pupa fallen from its case is a pupa lost. I do not hesitate to 

 nurse these industrious larvse for three or four months or more previous to their 

 development, and I never had cause to regret this procedure. 



The cases of the PsyclddcB must be put in boxes having a cover of wire gauze, 

 the meshes of which should be proportionate to the size of the larvte. In the boxes 

 should be put a layer of peat-earth, and tlien a layer of moss, in order, as much as 

 possible, to inn'tate nature, and to preserve fresh the plants placed therein. Through 

 the moss must be placed the food-plants, wliich must be kept fresh and abundant 

 until the larva has finally fixed its case ; this is not very difficult, as a large number 

 are polyphagous, and are content with Poa annua, or other low-growing plants, 

 common everywhere. It will only be necessary to place the food-plants in the earth, 

 and to water them from time to time. The boxes should always be in the open air, 

 and with an eastern aspect. The rearer of the Psychidce shoidd be convinced that 

 the rays of the sun are never too ardent for them, and that they are indispensable 

 both for the larvaj and pupae. In order to hasten the development, the boxes may 

 be taken indoors during the night, but they must not fail to be put out again the 

 first thing in the morning. 



I regard also, as a conditioji essential to success, that the Psychidce should not 

 be disturbed, nor even touched, if it be possible to avoid it. When they are finally 

 fixed (I say finally, because as they turn round in their case this is an important 

 matter to them) they expend much vital power, and there is often not sufficient left 

 for their transformation ; then the lai-vaj are compelled to return and feed again. 

 It is therefore highly necessary to watch them, and not to leave them without food 

 until it is certain they have turned to pupae. When at length no larvae move, the 

 cases vliich arc not fixed should be suspended from the part which was originally the 

 head-end by a piu fixed in the side of the boxT 



