914 THE ENTOMOLOGIST, 
many as five resting together on the same grass-head; on ‘this 
occasion both sexes were-about equal in number.—F. W. Frouawk ; 
July, 1909. J 
ACRONYCTA ACERIS LARVA) FEEDING ON Prum.—In August last 
year I found four small larve of A. aceris feeding on the foliage 
of a plum-tree in the garden here. They were transferred to a 
breeding-cage and supplied with twigs from the plum. Pupation 
occurred in due course, and two male specimens emerged in late 
June of the present year. These are perhaps rather small, but they 
are certainly not less in size than some examples I have reared in 
former years from larvee that had fed on sycamore.—RicHARD SOUTH ; 
96, Drakefield Road, Upper Tooting, S.W. 
CIDARIA MIATA EMERGING IN JuLy.—A small batch of the ova of 
this species were received from Burniston, Yorkshire, on April 25th 
last. Larvae from these hatched out April 29th, fed well on sallow, 
and by June 26th all had pupated. A male specimen emerged on 
July dth, followed by another the next day, and two examples of the 
same sex on the 8th of the month. Between July 11th and 20th 
two other males and seven females appeared.—RicHarD SouTH. 
Insects 1n Siciny.—With the Editor’s permission I should like 
to thank my numerous entomological friends for their sympathy with 
me in the sorrowful time of the earthquake at Messina, which 
terrible event put a-stop for some months to pleasant entomological 
excursions in the country. ‘The first months of the year proved 
exceptionally wet, and as I had lost all my entomological apparatus, 
it was Haster (April) before I could resume collecting. I was then 
domiciled at Catania, and my first excursion was to the back of 
Mount Htna, stopping at several towns on the return journey from 
. the medieval town of Randazzo. A most interesting place for lovers 
of the antique—not to say ignorant and backward. Situated 3000 
or 4000 ft. above the sea-level, the climate somewhat resembles that 
of England, and warm clothing was a necessity. Mount Etna rises 
over 10,000 ft., with snow on the upper half, while the nearest moun- 
tain to the west is less than 5000 ft., and is sown with corn to the 
summit. Amongst the boulders separating the cornfields we found a 
“tiger ’”’ caterpillar crawling about on the short grass, &c., very much 
resembling that of A. fuleginosa, but with black bands. I collected a 
dozen out of hundreds, and to my surprise I bred what I call the 
“black burnet”’ moth—Syntomis phegea. This insect seems generally 
distributed in Sicily; the first specimens I came across were in the 
plain of Catania, in May, almost on the sea level, and subsequently 
I found it plentifully at Taormina and also at Messina, where it can 
be picked off the flowers readily by its antennew, being one of the 
most obtrusive of the Lepidoptera. The female readily deposits its 
eggs loosely in a pill-box, and when I reached England on the 16th 
of June I found that a batch of eggs laid the week before had just 
hatched. The young caterpillars resemble those of Arctia villica (the 
cream-spot tiger moth), and (imitation being the sincerest form of 
flattery) I have, in my small way, imitated the entomologists who 
are trying to re-introduce Chrysophanus dispar, whom I wish success, 
