\Q2 [December, 



hero on the evening of the 7th inst. It flew in at the open window, evidently at- 

 tracted bj the light in the room ; but, unfortunately, it is in poor condition. — 

 Eustace R. Bankes, The Eectorj, Corfe Castle : October 20th, 1886. 



Great abundance of Plusia gamma. — During the present autumn P. gamma has 

 appeared iu swarms in this district, aiid was especially abundant during the mild 

 weather at the beginning of October. They were particularly noticeable at dusk, 

 when they hovered by hundreds round the flowers still remaining in the gardens. 

 It would be interesting to learn whether tlie same phenomenon has been observed in 

 other parts of the country, or whether this was only a partial visitation. — Id. 



[ /'. gamma has been very scarce near London this year. — Eds.] 



Anosia Plexipptis, L. fDanais Archippus, F.J at Gibraltar. — A specimen of 

 this most interesting butterfly was captured on the afternoon of October 24th, by 

 Lieut. -Commander Cochran of H.M.S. " Grappler," in his garden at Rosia, at the 

 foot of tlie rock, at rest on a bush of Bignonia. The insect, which I saw to-day, 

 only just dead, in the possession of Lieut. Bolton, is a ,? of average size and of the 

 ordinary North American type ; it is somewhat worn and faded, and one hind-wing 

 is a good deal chipped ; it looks as if it had been on the wing for a considerable 

 time. I observe in Dr. Kelaart's " Flora Calpensis " (published in 184-4) that no 

 representative of the natural order Asclepiadacea, comprising the chief food plants 

 of Anosia Plexippus, is found on the rock ; but two of the ApocynacecB, viz., Vinca 

 media and Nerium oleander (the former wild, the latter cultivated) are abundant 

 enough. If the larva will accept these as substitutes for its usual food plants (as it 

 is said to do occasionally in South America with other " dogbanes "), I can imagine 

 few places better suited, as regards climate, &c., for the ultimate naturalization in 

 Europe of Anosia Plexippus than the rock of Gibraltar. — James J. Walkek, 

 H.M.S. " Grappler," Gibraltar : October 2Qth, 1886. 



Acherontia Atmpos in a hee-hive. — It is, of course, a very old story that A. 

 Atropos enters bee-hives to steal the honey, but I do not know that one often hears 

 of the great moth being caught ^agranfe delicto. However, I have lately heard of 

 such a capture, and although I cannot give full particulars — it is hard generally quite 

 to understand non-entomological reports of entomological facts — yet I believe there 

 can be no doubt of the main fact in this case. 



At a farm-house in the parish of Dartington, South Devon, on July 28th, 1886, 

 the lads late in the evening noticed a peculiar noise at the bee-hives in the yard ; 

 they understood from it that some enemy was disturbing the bees, and called out 

 the other members of the family to see what it was. Search was made, and one of 

 the party with the kitchen tongs laid hold of the intruder, which, to the surprise of 

 all, turned out to be a " great big moth," and continued to make the strange noise 

 heard at first. It was covered with bees, and could not, or did not, fly ; so, after 

 the bees had retired, it was put under a tumbler, aud kept there, till at the end of a 

 fortnight it died. An entomological friend had the moth to set out, and he tells me 

 there was no trace of any injury upon it, beyond that caused by the tongs. One 



