46 THE EiNTOMOLOGlST. 



this question the greatest attention. The National Assembly, 

 last year, voted a very large prize (£12,000) to reward the 

 discoverer of a means to destroy this vile insect. The new 

 Chamber has equally entered the list. Committees of Deputes 

 and Senaleurs are working actively ; and even yesterday I 

 received from my colleague and friend, the Minister of 

 Agriculture and Commerce, — who himself is a very able 

 agriculturist, and collects all information concerning agricul- 

 ture, — a note, which I was awaiting with impatience, in the 

 expectation to find in it some ground of hope to transmit to 

 you, but from which it appears that until now no efficacious 

 remedy has been found in which we could place confidence.' 

 The quantity of wine produced in most localities varies from 

 10 to 25 per cent, of a crop ; and it is only in a few favoured 

 spots that the yield is from 30 to 50 per cent, of an average." 

 — E. A. Fitch. 



Argynnis Lathonia (variety). — Last summer, while in 

 Norway, I caught a very remarkable variety of Argynnis 

 Lathonia: the upper side of both wings is of a sooty black 

 colour, with hardly any markings, excepting indistinct ones 

 on the costal margin. The under side is equally strange ; the 

 silver spots have run into one another and form streaks, — 

 R. W. Bowyer; Haileybury College, Hertford. 



Description of the Larva of Lithosia molybdeola. — 

 On the 28th of November, 1876, 1 received from Mr. R. Kay 

 (2, Spring Street, Bury) two larvae of i>. molybdeola, the larger 

 of which was about five lines in length, and the smaller about 

 four. Head slightly smaller than the second segment, and 

 when the larva is at rest drawn within it, intensely black, 

 highly polished, notched, and rounded on the crown. The 

 body of the larva is dark umber-brown, slightly attenuated 

 towards each extremity, considerably so anteriorly when in 

 motion. Medio-dorsal line velvety black, narrow; subdorsal 

 line also velvety black; seated on this line, on the fifth and 

 each succeeding segment, is an oblong spot of a dull orange 

 colour, becoming almost white anteriorly, this whiteness 

 appearing most conspicuously on the fourth, fifth, sixth, and 

 seventh spots; detaclied from these spots, and situated on 

 the segment immediately preceding, there is another much 

 smaller white spot, which occurs also on the third segment, 

 although there is no orange spot on the succeeding segment; 

 these small white sj)ots are only visible when the larva is in 



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