LIFK-HISTORIKS UF SAWFLIKS. 279 



dorsum of the five or six following, gradually decreasing 

 in extent, which are black. The deep black ovipositor is in 

 striking contrast with the orange lint of the terminal 

 segments; above it, on either side, are two white projections, 

 with dark tips. 



It is apparent from the above that my species differs 

 greatly from that of the other writers. Swammerdam speaks 

 of imagos entirely black, with black legs. Hartig observed 

 no brown or yellow on the pronolum, and does not mention 

 the abdomen or legs as having any orange tint, or that the 

 stigma is yellow, in addition to which his description of 

 the neuration differs from that of oiir species. Frisch seems 

 to have found a species of Pimpla to be parasitic on his 

 species. Nernatus gallicola, Steph. (Westw. MS.), agrees 

 pretty well as regards the coloration of the body and the 

 legs, but differs in the colour of the stigma; it also appears 

 that the trophi are black, and I see no mention made of the 

 black mark on the femora. I have not thought it worth 

 while to refer to Lepeletier's Monographic, as one cannot, as 

 a rule, glean much from his descriptions, on account of their 

 incompleteness. 



The difficult question now remains, and it is one I shall 

 not take upon myself to decide : Is N. Lugdunensis nothing 

 more than a variety of Vallisnerii, brought about by its 

 inhabiting the red willow } Would hvgdunensis, if trans- 

 ferred to the white willow, become Vallisnerii after one or 

 two generations ? So much is certain, that both in the larva 

 and the imago the principal distinction consists in difference 

 of coloration. It is only by making experiments on a large 

 scale that this question can be determined. 



POLIA FLAVOCINCTA LARVA FEEDING ON MAGNOLIA. — TwO 



years ago a friend planted a young Magnolia grandijiora 

 against the wall of his house, and last July was much vexed 

 to find the greater part of the leaves more or less eaten and 

 disfigured. After several evenings search he brought me the 

 culprit, — a full-fed lepidopterous larva, which 1 failed to 

 recognise until the imago emerged to-day. It turned out to 

 be Polia Jiavocincla. This larva is known to be poly])hagous 

 enough with regard to low plants; but its attacking the hard, 

 evergreen leaves of Magnolia, in a large garden, seems worthy 

 of record.— Edward A. Fitch; Maldon,Essex, Sept. 29, 1877. 



