1885. J ^^'^ 



Snellen, of Rotterdam, the very curious fact that the pupae of the willo\*-fceding 

 H. rorellus have no separate cocoons at all, but are suspended perfectly naked in the 

 main larval web.— H. T. Stainton, Mountsfield, Lewisham, S.E. : Sept. 15^^,1885. 



Note on Pulsation in the larvce of Acronycta psi.— It may be for want of close 

 and accurate observation on my part, but the physiological phenomenon I saw to-day 

 was quite new to me, and to the best of my belief I have not seen it recorded. It 

 is this, a caterpillar of Acronycta psi was brought to me to-day for identification, I 

 was informed by the bringer that there was also in the box a small red maggot, in 

 looking for this maggot with a pocket lens, the caterpillar remaining perfectly still on 

 the side of the box, I observed, with the aid of the lens, that a regular pulsation was 

 going on in this caterpillar, and viewing it in profile as I did, the movement or 

 pulsation was very distinct. This process goes on in a small hump, thickly set with 

 white hairs on the dorsal line at the posterior end of its body : the gradual rising 

 and falling of this tuft rendered the process conspicuous under the lens. I took out 

 my watch and timed the pulsations, they were from 48 to 52 per minute. I drew 

 the attention of the gentleman who brought the caterpillar, and he had never seen 

 the like of this before. This phenomenon may not be new, but as I have never seen 

 it recorded, I thought it better to make a note of it at once, and as the caterpillars 

 of this moth are easily procured, it being a generally distributed species, there can 

 be no difficulty in verifying this.-EDWAED Pabfitt, Exeter, Angust lOth, 1885. 



[We presume it is the spot at which the pulsation was so distinctly visible that 

 our correspondent considers of interest. The " pulsating dorsal vessel" (or heart) 

 is a term constantly used by describers of larvae, and any text book on the anatomy 

 of Invertebrates details the structure and process.— Eds.] 



Nepticula assimilella, Zell., a species new to Britain.-ln October, 1883, I 

 found some empty mines, and in September, 1884, a few larv. of this specres on 

 Foprdus tremula in Abbott's Wood. From the latter I had the pleasure of breedmg 

 two moths in June last. A description of the imago is given on p. 12 of vol. 1 of 

 *^ The Natural History of the Tineina." Herrich-Schaffer's figure 840 is a good repre- 

 sentation of the specimens I have bred ; but Mr. Stainton, who has kmdly exammed 

 one of the moths from Abbott's Wood, informs me that the species is variable and 

 widely distributed in Europe.-W. H. B. Fletcbee, Fairlawn, Worthmg, Sussex: 

 September 12th, 1885. 



Stra,ve UoMty for Carahus monilis.-A friend of mine mentioned to me that 

 at Donard,inCo. W.eMow. the people, when speaking ^^out diggn,g for wa er^ 

 1 would Bay that they "went down to the clocks and got no water. ^'^ --^'^ "^ 

 exist. I am told about Armagh. "Clocks" are beetles, and the depth spo en var.d 

 from 20 to 30 feet. I asked my friend to get me specimens of these c . als 

 whether there were many deep cracks .n the ground. The " eloe » P "d o be 

 C.«6„.».om«». and >t appear, that there are deep crac s "-' ^7";'^ „ 



only account for the appearance of the beetles at such a depth ^7 *^^ ^ ' ° 

 tJ they descended into these deep cracks in search ^^ l";^' ^^^^.^ f ^^1 , ^ 

 there of their own accord, or got caught in some way.-W. F. JoH>»os, A g 

 September \Uh, 1885. K. 



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