68 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



stripe, unmarked. Ou each side of the stripe (one on each segment) is 

 a row of large red spots dotted with black. An oval-shaped large anal 

 yellow spot. A. tridens : Broad dorsal ichite stripe, marked tvith red on 

 each seijment. On each side (oue on each segment) is a row of large 

 black spots ivith ichite centres. An anal red transverse bar. Both psi. and 

 tridens have a black, dorsal, tufted tubercle on segment five, and both 

 have a dorsal anal tubercle — yellow in psi, white in tridens. Both larvje 

 have black heads. All larvse of Acronycta seem foud of pupating in 

 corks. These should be hollowed out a little with a penkuife, and the 

 caterpillars will do the rest. Put as many corks into the cage as there 

 are larvae, and the latter will find them with unerring discrimination. 

 Another Acronycta — A. megacephala — deserves a special note. Mr. 

 Thompson took a caterpillar of the species crawling up a poplar tree 

 near Chester ou July 11th. The moth emerged, witliout forcing, on 

 Sej)tember 10th. A long series of Boarmia repandata bred from Dela- 

 mere Forest larvae collected in spring from birch, sallow, and hawthorn 

 (they are night-feeders) showed the local form to be indeed a fine oue. 

 The moths appear to be unusually large. The colour of the wings is 

 dark grey with warm brown as well as black suffusions, and with paler 

 grey as well as black markings. Aplecta nehulosa (Delamere) ; bred 

 specimens from var. thompsoni parents were true to the variety ; while 

 those from robsoni parents occasionally reverted to the Delamere type. 

 Acherontia atropos : Four larvae were taken in Cheshire in the month of 

 August. One of these was successfully reared to an imago — a fine 

 dark female — February 11th, 1906, by Mr. Sidney Stendall, of the 

 Grosveuor Museum, Chester, after pupating on September 20th, 1905. 

 The pupa was kept in moss damped every other day and placed near a 

 kitchen fire. Mr. Stendall also captured a fine male at one of the 

 electric lamps, September 11th, 1905, at 10 p.m. Both these insects 

 " squeaked," producing a sound similar to that obtained by rubbing a 

 damp cork on a glass bottle. Very interesting observations were made by 

 Mr. Stendall on this " squeaking," and he found that the sounds pro- 

 ceeded from the region of the head, and that in every case the antennae 

 " shivered " very perceptibly whilst the sound continued. It is curious 

 that in all the records of atropos in the ' Entomologist ' for the last 

 twenty years I cannot find more than five references where mention 

 is made of this "squeaking" by the perfect insect. "Squeakhig" 

 by the pupa is referred to (xix. p. 44), and " snapping " by the larva 

 (xix. p. 16). 



Tlae electric lamps seemed in 1905 to be as efficient as ever in 

 attracting moths, but as females appear so seldom, the sport is very 

 one-sided, and becomes monotonous. Casual visits resulted in the 

 capture of a fine A. leporina, June 17th ; Plusia pulchrina, June 27th ; 

 P. iota and Habrostola triplasia, July 9th; N. dictceoides, July 28th; a 

 fresh but late Uropteryx sambucata, August 24th ; and a worn N. dictcea 

 on September 7th.— J. Arkle ; Chester, Feb. 8th, 1906. 



