234| [Noverabu 



mariscus at Wicken Fen. This larva, after being described and figured, unfortunate 

 died; but another similar larva, which Mr. Jeffrey had retained and kept on son 

 kind of Carex, became full-fed and spun itself up, but the pupa died before tl 

 following spring, so the whole experiment proved a failure. 



On the 23rd September, 18G9, Mr. Buckler had again the pleasure of figurii 

 this larva from a specimen sent him by the Hon. Thomas de Grey, M.P. (now Loi 

 Walsingham) ; this larva duly fed up and spun its cocoon, but, the following sumuu 

 an examination of this cocoon revealed that the larva had died without havir jj 

 pupated ! With this, Mr. Buckler's experience of this larva seems to have ende ; 

 and as he had not succeeded in breeding the imago, he refrained, accoi'ding to L 

 usual custom, from publishing the very interesting description he had penned. 



Now that at last the insect has been reared by Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher, I thougl 

 it would interest many to know for how long a period this larva lias been a half-solv*! h 

 mystery in this country.— H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, Lewisham : Septemb.\ \ 

 2Qth, 1887. i ! 



Description of the larva of Eupoecilia Degreyana. — Following the clue affordc { 

 by the report that a specimen of this insect was once bred by the late Rev. Mr. Bn' ' 

 from a lai-va found feeding in a flower of Linaria vulgaris, I have this year been ab j 

 to find it in considerable plenty. The larva is pale yellow, active, and rather lar; J 

 compared with the size of the imago. Head brown ; plate on the second segmei; i| 

 pale yellow like the body, but with two black or brown spots on the hinder edgd \ 

 anal plate imperceptible ; spots small, obscure. Burrowing into the ground ' i 

 pupate. I am unable to state at present how the first or summer brood feeds ; b ^ 

 from the fact that all the early flowers are aborted, I suspect that the lai-va; attai i 

 the young flower buds. Those collected in August and September feed within t] 

 seed-pods on the unripe seeds. A single specimen emerged the second week 

 September, which must have been gathered when in pupa in a floicer head; this w 

 probably a straggler of the early brood, unless, like implicitana sometimes, a thii 

 brood occurs. — W. Warken, Merton Cottage, Cambridge : September 2\st, 1887. y 



An Appeal for Larva for Description. — In consequence of the unfortunal; i 

 death of the Rev. John Hellins, I have been asked to do what I can towards su] 

 plying life-histories to accompany the late Mr. Buckler's figures of the larvse i ' 

 the British Lepidoptera now being published by the Ray Society, in those cases i ! 

 which no written or published descriptions were left by him. Thanks to tl 

 liberality of many correspondents I have been able to describe several of the larv i 

 required for the third Vol. There are still some which I have failed to obtain, an 

 so, as time is short, in order to avoid as much as possible leaving arrears to be dea il 

 with hereafter, I venture to appeal to the readers of this Magazine to give me . i 

 much help as they can. I need not say that I shall be most happy to make an ] 

 return in my power in kind or coin, as may be preferred. — W. H. B. Fletchej \ 

 Fairlawn House, Worthing : September 22»d, 1887. 



On the life history of Euchromia purpurana, Hw. — The occurrence of tk 

 insect in localities so unlike each other as are Wicken Fen and the shingle beach i 

 the Sussex coast has helped one greatly in guessing at its probable food-plant, 

 little looking about on the shore led me to notice that the moth always flew amon 



