THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 69 



varying from a long, narrow-winged insect, like Fraxinata 

 of Crewe, to the broader form of Egenaria, and varying much 

 in the intensity of its markings from a plain dull dim colour, 

 to a light ashy gray, with well-developed markings. My 

 remembrance of the fine, unique specimen of Egenaria, when 

 in Mr. Buxton's collection, was not vivid enough to warrant 

 me in saying his insect was a large Innotaria, but I often said 

 I thought it was so; but on seeing his specimen again about 

 two years ago, and comparing Cheshire Innotaria with it, all 

 doubt in my mind vanished. I possess German Innotaria, 

 which in no way differ from English specimens in my 

 collection, either in colour, size, or markings; that is, they, 

 the German specimens, differ in size, colour, and markings, 

 as do our own. — C. S. Gregson; Rose Bank, Fletcher Grove, 

 Edge Lane, Liverpool, January 1, 1874. 



Controlling Sex in Lepidoptera. — As bearing somewhat 

 on the subject of "controlling sex by supply of food" in 

 insects, it may be worth while to give the following: — During 

 last summer I had a few larvae of Exapate congelatella 

 feeding on privet : as I was greatly occupied with other 

 things they were neglected ; the supply of food was very 

 irregularly given, and short in quantity, yet the moths 

 produced from them consisted of four males, full sized, and 

 eleven females, some of these latter being much below the 

 average of the species in size. — J. E. Fletcher ; Pitinaston 

 Road, Worcester, February 2, 1874. 



Thecla Quercus with an Orange Spot. — Last autumn I 

 took, with other specimens of purple hairstreaks, one female, 

 which differs from all the rest, in having a wedge-shaped 

 orange spot above the centre of each upper wing (on the 

 upper side of the wings) ; the small end of the orange wedge 

 is directed towards the ti]^ of the wing, and the large end 

 towards the base of the wing. Is this an unusual variety ? It 

 can hardly be a distinct species. I also took, by beating 

 some oaks, two larvae of S. Fagi, and from birch two larvae 

 which were more like D. pudibunda than any other species 

 that I am acquainted with, but they were of a grayish brown 

 colour (instead of a pale greenish yellow), with black incisions, 

 and golden brown tufts on 5th to 8th segments, and a purple 

 tuft on r2th segment. Is this a variety of D. pudibunda? — 

 Frank Norgate ; Sparliain, Xorwich, December 29, 1873. 



[Mr. Doubleday, to whom I have shown the note, considers 



