16 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



described by the Rev. J. S. St. John (Entom. xx. 41). — R. II, Thompson ;' 

 50, Parsonage Road, Withington, near Manchester, December 8, 1888, 



CiDARiA RKTicuLATA. — I come to the conclusion, that the reason 

 Cidaria reticulata is so rare an insect is owing to the larvae feeding so late 

 in the autumn on a food-plant so tender as Impatiens )wU-me-taiigere. I , 

 could never get the larvfe to eat any other plant, and would not at all be 

 surprised if this species soon becomes extinct, owing to early frost and snow : , 

 with us notably on 1st October, 1888. 1 have never been able to succeed in , 

 rearing the larvae of C. reticulata, although I have tried hard, and have 

 gone almost daily for the food for them. I was successful in breeding 

 it this season, for knowing they made up amongst the loose rubbish about 

 the plants, I determined to try another plan. I went late in the season and 

 collected bags of rubbish from about where I knew the plants bad been ' 

 growing, and was rewarded by rearing a very nice series. I am afraid it will 

 be no use trying the same this winter, I went on the 28th of September to ■ 

 see if there were many plants, and found one corner had a nice bed of them • 

 in it. I had a good look for larvae, and found three, but not nearly half- j 

 grown. Being so small, I placed them on a marked plant, and lefc them. | 

 A few days later the frost and snow came, so I went up again at once, ; 

 knowing the plant was so easily killed, and found every plant cut to the [ 

 ground. After some looking, I came across two larvae wandering about. 

 Not knowing what to do with them, I came to the conclusion forthwith to send • 

 them to the Rev. B. Smith, of Marlow, who had written to me that he could . 

 not help thinking the larvae might be got to eat something else. I have had 

 a note from Mr. Smith since, to say he had failed with those I sent. I can I 

 see one chance for C. reticulata, which is that some may stay more than one • 

 year in the pupa state; otherwise there is but little chance for it. — | 

 H. Murray; Lowbank Villas, Carnforth, December 5, 1888. ' 



Penthina postremana. — I was fortunate enough to breed a very nice ' 

 series of P. postremana from Impatiens noli-me-tangere. last season. — H. i 

 Murray ; Lowbank Villas, Carnforth, December 13, 1888. i 



The gknus Scoparia. — Two more seasons have passed since my last 

 note on this subject (Entom. xxi. 17), and little or nothing has been done . 

 towards further elucidating tliis genus, except that Mr. P. B. Mason and ; 

 Mr. G. C. Barrett have at length given in their adhesion to the opinion I | 

 expressed (Entom. xviii. 130) that S. (jracilis should be merged in S.alpina. j 

 Will none of my brother entomologists in Scotland assist me in working \ 

 out the question of the specific identity of S. ambir/ualis and S. atomalis ? j 

 Convinced as I am of their identity, I cannot satisfactorily prove it from \ 

 lack of material. We know that S. ainbigualis is abundant ttiroughout 

 England and Scotland, up to the Highlands, where, as in the Hebrides, 

 the Orkneys, and the Shetlands it disappears, and its place is taken by 

 S. atomalis, which has never occurred in tiie south, with the exception of 

 a single specimen recorded from Wales by Mr. Gregson ('Intelligencer,' i, 

 p. 31); and this we are particularly told was much lighter in colour than 

 the Scotch specimens. On the west coast of Argylesliire and the small 

 islands in the Sound of Jura, Mr. Howard Vauglian and I have taken, 

 nearly on the sea-level, specimens of an intermediate character ; and if 

 entomologists working in Scotland, especially near tlie junction of the 

 Highlands and Lowlands, would but collect these species for comparison, 



