THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 135 



one, and the body and hind wings are much darker than 

 usual. I have also bred a specimen of the usual type, which 

 has one tip much paler than the other. — H. Witlich ; 

 55, Lansdoivn Road, Dalstoii, E., May 19, 1875. 



Xylomiges coiispicillaris at Darf/ord. — Mr. Packman, of 

 Dartford, took a fine female of X. conspicillaris, on the 10th 

 of May. He brought it to me, and I am pleased to say I 

 have a few eggs from it, which apparently are fertile. — A. B. 

 Farn; New Government Offices, Whitehall, S.W., May 14^, 

 1875. 



Agrotis Helveiina. — Mr. Taylor kindly brought me his 

 specimen of the Noctua, which my friend Dr. Knaggs named 

 Agrotis Helvetina, to compare it with authentic specimens of 

 this species given to me by Dr. Staudinger. I think the 

 continental specimen which Dr. Knaggs examined must 

 have been wrongly named, as such a keen observer could not 

 possibly confound two such very different species. Mr. 

 Taylor's Noctua scarcely differs from the red variety of 

 Neglecta, except in size, being larger, and it may only be a 

 variety of this species; but I cannot speak positively about 

 it till I have seen a male. Agrotis Helvetina closely 

 resembles the dark variety of A. lucernea, but is considerably 

 larger, and has very long legs and antennae. — Henry 

 Doubleday ; Epping, May, 1875. 



Larvce of Cirrhcedia xerampelina. — On the 3rd of May I 

 took about twenty larvae of C. xerampelina, under moss on 

 ash-trees, near this village. I never took it here before, 

 although I think I saw one of the moths at sugar in August 

 last. I may add that a great many of the larvae are 

 ichneumoned. — A. T hum all ; Whitilesford, Cambridgeshire, 

 May 7, 1875. 



Beetle Destructive to Mangold Wurzel. — I have received 

 almost simultaneous complaints of the destruction of young 

 mangold wurzel in distant localities. In some instances the 

 writers complain that the insects " began to eat the young 

 plants before appearing above ground, and never left off; in 

 many rows taking every plant." In the 'Field' newspaper I 

 have given all the information I possess respecting this 

 diminutive enemy of the farmer: this is chiefly extracted 

 from the 'Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France' 

 for 1847, was originally written by M. Bazin, and has been 



