130 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



brown-tail to fruit-trees in other days ? My own impression 

 has been always that these are exaggerated, both in the case 

 of England and the Continent. Now here, at Gravesend, we 

 are encompassed by fruit-producing districts, — at Highara, 

 Singlewell, Southfleet, and Green Street Green, are large 

 orchards of pear, apple, plum, and cherry. The increase of 

 L. chrysorrhcea, to be injurious to these trees, would be 

 serious. At present, I find no signs of them on fruit-trees ; 

 these nests described to you are all on three lines of hedge, 

 running near each other, about a mile from Gravesend. The 

 larvae are evidently most inclined to feed on hawthorn, 

 though some have colonized the blackthorn, and even the 

 bramble. It would probably be an easy matter to collect and 

 burn two hundred nests, which, at the moderate average of 

 thirty to a nest, might represent six thousand larvae ; yet, for 

 my own part, looking at the thing with a naturalist's eye, I 

 should not like to suggest it, unless it really ought to be done. 

 I can hardly see that the insect is one that calls for such 

 interference. — J. R. S. Clifford; 120, Windmill Street 

 Gravesend, May 11, 1874. 



[I have often thought the accounts of the brown-tail moth, 

 as given in that most choice of all Natural Histories, Kirby 

 and Spence, rather surprising: "The oaks, elms, and white- 

 thorn hedges, looked as if some burning wind had passed 

 over them and dried up the leaves." Now I have seen 

 something of this appearance produced on the oak by Tortrix 

 viridana, and on the whitethorn hedges by Yponomeuta 

 padella, but never by Liparis chrysorrhcea. Then again it is 

 said, as regards leaves, these larvae " ate only the upper 

 surface," and " they devoured the fruit," both of which state- 

 ments are contrary to the usual habits of the larvae in question. 

 Then it is stated that " churchwardens and overseers burnt 

 the caterpillars by bushels." It would puzzle these gentle- 

 men, even when assisted by the most energetic of beadles, to 

 collect a single bushel of caterpillars. All things considered, 

 I quite agree wuth Mr. Clifford that these statements may 

 fairly be challenged. — Edward Netvinan.'] 



Dianilicecia albimacula Bred: Description of the Larva. 

 — I send you a short description of the larva of Dianthoecia 

 albimacula, which I captured off Silene nutans last summer. 

 The above plant formerly grew in abundance in this locality, 



