1875.1 l;i9 



crnglossa stellatarum was iibund iiit, and literally swarmed in one small mountain 

 churchyard. Zijrcena jilipcndulce and Tanagr.i chcnrophyllntct were also seen in great 

 plenty, but they did not receive the same attention as was paid to the diurnal 

 Lepidoptera. — W. L. Distant, Streatham Cottage, West Dulwich, S.E. 



Sphinx convnlvuli at Pidney. — I took a fine specimen of this insect on one of my 

 windows here early last week. — H. Decastho, Cramlingtou Villa, Upper Richmond 

 Road, Putney : 13tk October, 1875. 



Sphinx convolvuli at Twickenham. — A fine specimen of this insect was captured 

 on September 30th by Mrs. Boscher of Belle-Vue llouse, Twickenham, hovering 

 over a Petunia in the garden. I saw another specimen about the middle of the 

 month in the hands of a railway porter at Red Ilill Junction. — R. Meldola, St. 

 John's Street, Bedford Row : October 5ih, 1875. 



Sphinx convolvuli at East Grinstead. — A specimen of this insect was observed, on 

 several consecutive evenings during the latter part of September, hovering over the 

 flower beds in the quadrangle of the Sisterhood of Saint Margaret's, at East Grinstead, 

 Sussex. — Tboyey Blackmoee, The Hollies, Wandsworth : October, 1875. 



Sphinx convolvuli at Watford. — Seven specimens of this usually scarce moth have 

 been, to my knowledge, taken in Watfoi'd during the past few weeks. Two or three 

 have been found at rest in early morning upon door-knockers. One, a fine male, so 

 taken by one of our letter-cari'iers, has been given to mo by its captor. I saw one 

 flying over some plants of the Japan lily (Lilium auratumj in Mr. Clarence Fry's 

 garden here, but failed to take it. Mr. Fry has since captured one hovering over liis 

 petunia bed, and has seen a second, which has so far escaped. One flew into a 

 florist's shop. My friend Mr. Lawford has taken three hovering over flowers at 

 dusk at Hitchin. — Aethue Cottam, St. John's Road, Watford : October 16th, 1875. 



An insect incendiary. — A large handsome Sphinx moth, generally brown, some- 

 times grey, called the " Iriano " (Choerocampa Erotus, Cramer), is common in the 

 Hcrvey Islands. The head is brown, and white beneath ; the antennoB white, and 

 hooked at the tip ; and the proboscis, exquisitely coiled up, sometimes attains the 

 length of five inches. At dusk, in the warm season, they are very numerous, coming 

 out of their hiding-places and entering the dwellings of the natives, attracted by 

 the light inside. 



In ancient times, a certain method of secretly wreaking vengeance upon a foe 

 was, on a dry night, to catch two or three " irianos," and, after carefully unwinding 

 their proboscis, tie on narrow strips of stout native "tapa" (cloth) lighted at one 

 end. This cloth only smoulders, and, like touchwood, never goes out. The afTrighted 

 moths would then bo set at liberty as near as possible to the dwelling of the intended 

 victim. The " irianos " dragging tlirough the air these strips of smouldering " tapa " 

 would naturally make for the highly-combustible thatch. In a few seconds the house 

 would be in a blaze ; but the real olTcnder would be at a safe distance. 



To render escape impossible, the doors of the house were sometimes secured 

 with ^rceen bark when t lie inniates were snoring. I'andamis-leaf lliatcli, when half 



