266 THE entomologist's record. 



Lepidoptera at Dover. — I am just back from my holidays, and 

 thought a note on the special insects observed might be interesting. 

 Four insects struck me in particular as being worthy of note. These 

 were as foUoAvs : — (1) Colias ediisa was about in good numbers, and 

 very fresh during first part of August, but very worn later; strange to 

 say no C hyale to be seen. (2) Flaaia (/amiiia was a perfect pest, and 

 in great numbers at the beginning of August, but gradually thinned out 

 by the end of the month, when only a few were seen. (3) Sesia stellataruni 

 turned up in numbers, beginning of August, in good condition. (4) 

 Acidalia ornata (2nd brood) were about in considerable numbers, more 

 abundantly than I have seen them before. — C. P. Pickett, F.E.S., 

 99, Dawlish Eoad, Leyton, Essex. September \st, 1904. 



Sphinx ligustri near London. — I have also to record the capture 

 of six larvae of Sphinx Ivjuntri from a garden at Raynes Park (all full- 

 fed). Surely this is getting very near to London. — Ibid. 



Agrius CONVOL.VULI AT SYDENHAM. — It may be interesting to record 

 the capture of a fine specimen of A<irim convolruli here this morning. 

 It was at rest upon a fence and, having nothing to remove it in, I gently 

 enticed it to cling to my finger. In this position I conveyed it home, 

 a distance of nearly a mile, without it shewing the least inclination to 

 move. — A. M. Swain, 5, Kelvin Terrace, Sydenham, S.E. September 

 1st, 1904. 



FooDPLANT OF CucuLLiA GNAPHALii. — I have lately been feeding a 

 few larv8e of Cucidlia (inaphalU, and find they eat freely the common 

 garden aster, better known, perhaps, as " Michaelmas Daisy " or 

 "Farewell to Summer." — Percy C. Reid, F.E.S, Feering Bury, Kel- 

 vedon. September ith, 1904. 



Probable second-pairing of Dryas paphia. — As bearing on the 

 point that some lepidoptera usually supposed only to pair once, do so, 

 at any rate, more frequently than this, I note that a ^ and ? Dryas 

 paiihia, both exceedingly worn and badly broken, and the $ with her 

 abdomen almost empty, were captured paired on July 14th, 1904, at 

 San Jerommio, Montserrat. This is, of course, no proof that the $ had 

 paired before, but one's knowledge of the habits of the species leads 

 one to suppose that it most probably had done so. — J. W. Tutt. 



Agrius convolvuli at Frindsbury.^ — I have to announce the cap- 

 ture of a specimen of Aiirius convolvuli at Frindsbury to-day. — J. Oven- 

 den, Frindsbury Road, Strood. September 1th, 1904. 



who has recently worked the group through. Ptilodon, Hb. (1806), has for type 

 camelUta (with which we at present associate cumielitd structurally). Odontoda, 

 Hb. (1826), is a heterogeneric group — palpina, plumUicra, cannelita, cameUna, and 

 cucuUinu. If, as we surmise, caniiclitd and canwliiia are congeneric, these fall out 

 of this genus, leaving ^jaZ^^f//;/, 2>lti>ititie>'ii , or cuciillimi as a possible type of, or, if 

 anyone has named ccnnclina as type, sinking Odonto^Ui as a synonym of, Ptilodon. 

 To have been accurate, one ought, one suspects, to have written Ptilodon carmelita. It 

 is so well known that Staudinger was a great opponent of any but the old tribe- 

 genera of the early authors, and that his work most pointedly neglects all generic 

 synonymy, that one can hardly expect us to follow one who more than once wrote 

 that he did not intend to be troubled about the matter. The name of our generic 

 disagreements with 8taudinger's Ciitakn/, in such groups as we know, is legion. 

 With increased knowledge, the number is likely to be increased tenfold. When we 

 get our own British Siiiioni/niic Lif:t. based on real independent and first-hand work, 

 and not merely copied from other authors, we shall begin to know where we are. 

 At present, if we had to name the one list in which the greater number of (jeneni 

 are most probably wrong, we should suggest Staudinger's. — Ed. 



