302 THK ENTOMOLOGIST 



established, but by this means the economy of the preyeis 

 themselves would be elucidated. It may be quoted as an 

 instance of "our utter ignorance," that when Mr. Riley was 

 in this country he attended the .luly (1875) meeting of the 

 Entomological Society, and there expressed a wish for a 

 supply of Microgaster cocoons for purposes of acclima- 

 tisation in America to lessen the ravages of the naturalised 

 Pieris rupee. The meeting was well attended, and the 

 request was published in several journals ; but it was not till 

 some time subsequently that the question was raised by Mr. 

 M'Lachlan, whether we have a Microgaster parasitic on 

 P. rapcB at all; whether the well-known Apa/iteles (Micro- 

 gaster) glomeratus is not exclusively confined to P. hrassicce. 

 Such is, I believe, the case. At the December (1876) meeting 

 of the Society Mr. Meldola related his experience; and 

 during this year I have examined scores of larvae and pupae 

 of P. rap(B without any sign of Microgaster ; so if judgment 

 may be allowed to go by default the i^urpose of Mr. Riley's 

 request would be futile. But what a lesson to British 

 entomologists : Pieris rapce, our commonest and best 

 observed butterfly, and the Microgaster cocoons, unlike 

 many parasites, particularly observable.*— E. A. F.] 



Lepidoptera near York. — In this neighbourhood the 

 season has generally been a bad one, especially for larvae; 

 however, Sineriiiilius ocellatus has been plentiful, upwards 

 of one hundred larvae having been taken. 1 met with 

 Acidalia v/nntitata in the bog this year for the first time ; I 

 also saw several small larvae of Collix sparsata, but did not 

 take them, intending to do so later, but was prevented by the 

 continuous rain. I have again bred the black variety of 

 Amphydasis hetularia (two males and one female).; likewise 

 three intermediate ones, one of which has a broad black 

 border to the fore wings ; the other two are black, dotted all 

 over with white. I also bred a fine male Cymatophora 

 jiucluosa this spring, from a larva taken in 1876. Acronycta 



* On October 26th, 1877, Mr. W. C. Boyd found a larva of Pieris rupee on 

 a fence at Cheshimt, on which was a cluster of the little yellow Microgaster 

 cocoons. With his usual kindness Mr. Boyd gave them to me, after 

 exhibition at the Entomological Society; so I hope to determine the species. 

 The specimens were found after the above was written, showing that 

 negative evidence is again at fault, but the lack of observation is still 

 established. — E. A. F. 



