82 [September, 



Talking, as we did, " de omnibus rebus ct quibusdam aliis," I clianced to show, as 

 objects of interest, the Isle of Man form of l^atiessa urticcB. This led to a remark 

 by Mr. Kirby that some people wanted to make out that polychloros and tirticcB 

 were only diiferent forms of one species. Mr. Snellen then enquired if I was aware 

 of the structural character by which the two insects might be recognised ; on my 

 confessing my ignorance, he pointed out that the basal half of the costa of poll/- 

 cMoros shows a row of long, strong bristles, which are entirely absent in urticcB. 

 Antiopa shows similar bristles, but lo and AtaJanta have none. — Id. : August 20th, 

 1883. 



The larva of Acronycta alni— a problem for observers. — Dr. A. Speyer, in the 

 Stettiner entomologische Zeitung, 1883, p. 419, has a chapter on this larva, which 

 he calls " an Entomological enigma." In the earlier stages of its larval life, it is well 

 known to have a totally different appearance from that which it presents at its last 

 moult. The younger larvae might readily be passed for the faeces of birds, even by 

 a tolerably good observer, but the adult larva (blue-black spotted with dazzling 

 yellow, with long hairs terminating in clubs) neither resembles bird's-dung nor any 

 thing else. Has it then, from some cause unknown to us, any special protection in 

 that form ? 



Dr. Speyer mentions that his friend, Dr. H. Midler of Lippstadt, had once 

 offered a brood of the gaily-marked larva of C'licullia lactucce, bright yellow and 

 black, to the numerous occupants of various ages of his chicken yard : most of the 

 old fowls and many of the younger ones made long necks on first catching sight of 

 the larva?, but took no further notice ; a few pecked towards them, but in such a 

 timid, hesitating way, that they did not actually touch them ; just a few actually 

 picked up the larvae, but speedily threw them down again and walked away ; only 

 one young and inexperienced chicken picked one up a second time after an interval 

 of some minutes. The story is well told ; but it does not say whether this last 

 mentioned larva was eventually eaten. 



I doubt whether any Entomologist has ever had the larvae of Acronycta alni 

 in such numbers, as to have tried the experiment of offering them to his poultry ; 

 but for all that, the experiment might be worth trying, and if the fowls did not eat 

 them, he would be eventually no loser ! 



Another question here arises — -why is it that this larva always occurs singly ? 

 Dr. Speyer says that it has never been his fate on finding one of these larvae to suc- 

 ceed in finding a second in the same locality, in spite of the most careful search ; 

 this seems the more extraordinary as the larva does not conceal itself, but feeds 

 exposed on the upper surface of the leaves. Of its polyphagous habits, Dr. Speyer 

 can testify from his own experience, having found it on alder, birch, oak, beech, 

 lime, cherry, raspberry, dog-rose {Eosa canina), and willow {Salix alba). — Id. 



Pieris napi, L., versus P. llelete, Men., and P. megamera, Bull. — I have just 

 succeeded in solving this question by breeding many specimens of Pieris 3Ielete from 

 eggs laid by Pieris napi, or, as it is named by Mr. Butler, Pieris megamera. I fully 

 anticipated this result, as was indicated in my paper read before the Entomological 

 Society in August, 1882. 



