THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 231 



species on the currant-bushes in gardens, and often on the 

 common lilac. It is not by any means restricted in its food 

 to low plants ; and hardly an entomologist has not, at some 

 time or other, beaten it from the sloe or oak in the course of 

 liis researches. Young individuals of A. Caja will sometimes 

 feed on various bushes in gardens during the autumn, taking 

 to the low plants in the early sjiring. The individuals noted 

 by Mr. Wittich may belong to the latter species. — J. B. S. 

 Clifford. 



Eiipithecia Pygmeata. — On the 23rd of August I took a 

 fine specimen of this insect at Witherslack. 1 also took it 

 flying along with Grapholila obtusana the last week in May, 

 which is the usual time of its appearance in this district. It 

 seems quite strange to see the Helianthemum in full flower 

 again, as well as the wild thyme : the hot weather soon 

 burnt them up on the limestone, and since the rain has come 

 on all seems fresh again. There were very ieyr insects : 

 Argyresthia spiniella, Coriscium cuculipennella, Gelechia 

 similella, Laverna miscella, were among the best species I 

 saw. The intense heat has quite killed lots of plants: I 

 could not see a single gentian lor Asychna profugella to feed 

 on. — J. B. Hodykinsoii ; ib, Spring Bank, Preston, Sep- 

 tember 6, 1874. 



Bomb us Luc arum. — One evening lastweek, being on Shirley 

 Common mothing, at about 11.30 p.m., I netted what seemed 

 to be, by the light of the lantern, a moth hovering over the 

 flowers of the bramble. On examining my captive more 

 closely I found, to my surprise, that it was not a moth, but a 

 humble-bee (Bombus Lucorum). Can any of your readers say 

 whether it is usual for these insecls to fly by night ? I never 

 before remember to have seen, or heard of such a habit. — W. 

 A. Forbes; West Wickham, Kent, September 11, 1874. 



Death from the Sling of a Hornet. — You certainly have 

 some entomological readers in the neighbourhood of Reading. 

 Could you not get them to investigate this case more thoroughly ? 

 Not that I think it at all improbable that a nervous, excitable 

 person may die through the sting of a hornet, wasp, or bee; 

 in fact, if I remember rightly, the Hon. Grantley F. Berkeley, 

 some few years ago, recorded in the ' Field' newspaper the 

 death of an old man from the sting of a bee. This occurred 

 in the garden of Mr. Lovegrovc, VValdron, near Lambourne, 



