286 [May, 



fourth eegment. The liind femora in confinis have, on the under- 

 side, only a slight cilia of short spines, while in segiiis the spines 

 are long and conspicuous, and in segnis, ^ , the hind trochanters 

 bear a much longer spine. In conjinis, the black on the tibioe is 

 more conspicuous, and occiipies the end rather than the middle. 

 I caught one male near Three Bridges in August, 1872. 



16. Paeagtjs albifeons, Fall. — Among Mr. '¥. Walker's JDipfera, 

 was a male of this little species, which he thinks was caught in 

 the Isle of "Wight. As it is found all over Europe, it is sure to 

 occur on the coasts of England, and I therefore introduce it 

 without hesitation. It is easily distinguished from all other 

 species by the entirely yellow epistoma of the male (the female 

 having a black middle line in all species), the yellow tip to the 

 scutellum, and the interrupted arcs of whitish tomentum on the 

 abdomen. The abdomen varies in often bearing some red spots, 

 and the legs often bear dark rings on the hind tibiae, &c. 



With these additions and corrections, the number of British 

 SjjrphidcB will be 190, as I have here added 12 and withdrawn 

 one ; we are therefore rapidly approaching the 200 species, which 

 I anticipated when my list was published in January, 1870. 



The Mulberries, Denmark Hill, London, S.E. : 

 Felruary, 1873. 



ON THE LAKVA OP SPHINX CONVOLVULI AND ITS HABITS. 

 BY WILLIAM BTJCKLEE. 



My warm thanks are due to Mr. H. Laver of Colchester, for the 

 loan of a larva, and to Mr. James J. Walker of Sheerness, for the 

 pupa of this grand species, during the past autumn. Previously, I 

 had seen but the dead specimen of the larva, recorded at E. M. M., 

 vol. V, p. 161 ; and it may be supposed how elated I was to have the 

 opportunity of depicting a living example, and of noting its move- 

 ments and behaviour. 



The larva, which had been found in a field at Mersea, Essex, 

 reached me on September 24th, 1872, and continued to feed until 

 noon of the 28th, and on the evening of the 29th, it retired to earth ; 

 I had, therefore, the pleasure of watching it for five days. 



From the time of its arrival it showed no aversion to strong day- 

 light, nor any disposition to wander away from the food supplied to 

 it, but remaiaed attached to the Convolvulus arvensis, although exposed 



