NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 259 



well described, will find an excellent substitnle, and pro- 

 bably a much handier iiistniaient, in one of '" Clarke's spray 

 producers." This is what I always use, and it was first 

 suggested to nie by Lord Walsinghara, who had used it for 

 souie lime previously. It is an instrument used by medical 

 men and others, and is the same in principle as the "pressure- 

 boltle," being simply an india-rubber tube, having two balls, 

 one at the end, in which is a valve, which on being squeezed 

 with ihe hand distends the other ball about the middle of the 

 tube, and keeps up a constant current of air, strong or weak, 

 according to the rapidity of the pressure on the end ball. It 

 is very simple, and thoroughly efficient; and may be obtained 

 of any druggist, or dealer in snrgical instruments, for five or 

 six shillings. — Geo. T. Porritt; Highroyd House, Hudders- 

 field, September 7, 1877. 



Notes on Pupa-digging. — Not many readers of the 

 'Entomologist' perhaps are systematic pupa-diggers. A 

 collector may begin to dig for pupae with sanguine hopes of 

 success, soon, however, to be dispelled by a iew hard clods 

 and empty pupa-cases; still those who persevere in digging 

 can scarcely fail, sooner or later, of some measure of 

 success. Mr. H. Benson and I have found digging by 

 no means a failure. Last year we dug up two pupae of 

 Cymatophora ocularis, both of which reached the imago 

 state ; pupae of Notodotifa clictaa, Scopelusoma salelliiia, 

 Ampiiydcms betularia, about twenty Pyy<Bra bucephaUi, and 

 sixty T(Bniocamp(t insiabilis ; also a few T. siabdis, T. cruda, 

 T. yolhica, Nyssia liispidaria, and Hyberuia progemmaria ; 

 we found about twelve pupae of Mamestra brassicce, one 

 Arclia viendica, twenty Smeritithus populi, thirty S. tilice, 

 and about two hundred Sesia apifonnis. Off trees we took 

 two pupae of Dicranura viinila, and (rora under the bark of 

 trees two pupae of D. bifida, one of which became an imago, 

 and a considerable number of Acronycta meyacephala. In the 

 roots of sallows we fomid some jjupae of Sesia bembecil'ormis, 

 of which six turned into perfect insects. We have found a 

 small trowel to be on the whole the best implement to use, a 

 pupa-digger having the disadvantage of maiming most of the 

 pupae it happens to touch, though it is most usefid in pulling 

 away the grass round trees. A bark-ripper is objectionable 

 on the ground of the havoc it makes with trees; yet it can be 



