268 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



fine range ; 50 per cent, were var. niarmorinaria, but not more 

 than 1 per cent, of the true melanic form. On February 25th 

 examples of the very light local form of Polyploca Jiavicornls 

 were taken. On March 9th a visit to a local wood showed 'a 

 plentiful emergence of Tephrosia bistortata on yew trunks. On 

 the 17th I saw my first Brephos parthenias. By the 23rd these 

 were unusually abundant, and a nice form with yellowish 

 underwings was taken. Sallow bloom was very late in appear- 

 ing. A flying visit to the New Forest, in the hope of taking 

 a female Dasycavipa rahiginea was barren of results, owing to 

 the prevalence of clear, frosty nights. Demas coryli began to 

 emerge in the cages at the end of March. From a few local 

 pupte Mr. A. J. Lawrance had the good fortune to breed a 

 couple of melanic specimens. On April 8th I paid a visit to 

 our local Downs and found Parasemia plantaginis larvae small 

 and comparatively scarce. Those taken suffered severely from 

 two forms of disease, one fungoid and the other parasitic. As 

 a rule the fungoid disease is most prevalent after a wet winter. 

 A mild February is most destructive to them. Drepana cuUraria 

 began to emerge on April 12th, from larvae taken late the 

 previous October. 



The second week in April also gave larvae of Geometra 

 papilionaria, Boarmia roboraria, Hylophila bicolorana, Thera 

 variata, and Ellopia fasciaria. With reference to B. roboraria 

 larvae, my experience is, that it is hopeless to expect normal- 

 sized imagines from larvas taken quite small, though I have 

 bred beautiful specimens from full-fed larvae. In the wild 

 I have never taken small larvae of the species except from oaks 

 well covered with lichen. I am inclined to believe that they 

 feed, at least partially, on this in their early stages. 



On April 19th I received some ova of Nyssia lapponaria from 

 one friend (to which were added later some larvae from another). 

 All were sleeved on birch. From the sleeve a few larvae escaped, 

 and were found later on sallow. Finding that the sallow-feeders 

 throve better, I transferred all the larvae to the latter pabulum. 

 In their last instar I placed them, according to advice, in two 

 large boxes, on beather, growing over hard peat. After feeding 

 for a few days they disappeared, as I hoped, for pupation. 

 Unfortunately, one box collapsed whilst I was away, and the 

 enclosed larvae escaped or became the prey of some of my too 

 many garden pests. The second lot, however, were examined 

 on September 7th, and were found to have pupated successfully. 



On May 5th a visit was paid to a local birch wood for pupae 

 of Sesia culiciform'is. They were found, as usual, in all stages — 

 larvae, large and small, pupae recently turned, and ready for 

 emergence, and lastly empty pupa cases of recently-emerged 

 imagines. According to my experience the emergence of S. 

 culiciformis extends from April to July. 



