138 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



history of the Tiger-beetle," with lantern illustrations. Farther par- 

 ticulars may be obtained on application to the hon. local secretary, 

 Dr. C. Poulett Harris, 75, Morland Road, Croydon. 



Exhibition. — The fourth Annual Exhibition of the Nonpareil Ento- 

 mological and Natural History Society was held on April 20th and 

 21st last, and appears from the report, with which the hon. secretary 

 has kindly furnished us, to have been very successful, both as regards 

 objects and attendance. 



Note on the Life-histoby of Fobficula aubiculabia. — On April 

 2nd, 1896, in a rotten tree-stump in the fir-woods near Oxshott, I 

 came across a female of the common earwig (Forjicula auricularia) 

 with a batch of pale yellowish-green eggs, which were of quite a con- 

 siderable size for so small an insect. The earwig, with a few of the 

 eggs and some of the rotten wood, were placed in a small glass-topped 

 box. In this confined prison the mother carefully collected the eggs 

 and placed them in a heap under the wood. If they were moved, or 

 by moving the box were brought into the light, she carried them under 

 cover, carefully lifting them with her jaws. So far the observations 

 of De Greer were confirmed ; but after the young appeared, which 

 appearance took place in two or three days, she did not appear to me 

 to pay much attention to them, though certainly I did not observe 

 them so often as I might have done, or keep them in very natural con- 

 ditions. Soon after hatching, the young were colourless and almost 

 transparent, their heads being large, and their antennae and forceps of 

 inordinate length ; the wings and wing-cases were, of course, quite 

 wanting. The young soon became darker. Changes of skin occurred, 

 but I cannot say how many times, and by towards the end of July the 

 single survivor, a female, seemed to be mature. She was small, pro- 

 bably through being brought up under unnatural conditions, and not 

 getting fresh food with regularity. They were usually fed on fruit, and 

 I noticed on one occasion that they ate greedily of banan i, antennae 

 and palpi moving incessantly the while. — W. J. Lucas. 



Spbing Appeabance of Asteboscopus sphinx. — It may be interesting 

 to again record the winter survival of Asteruscopus sphinx. This spring 

 the males of this species have been taken in small numbers in the 

 moth-trap of the Hon. R. E. Dillon, at Clonbrook, Co. G-alway, where 

 the moth is so abundant in November. Those captured in March seem 

 to be somewhat darker in tint than the bulk of the autumnal speci- 

 mens. The only reference to its reappearance in the early months of 

 the year that I know of is to be found in Hofmann's ' Raupen der 

 Schmetterliuge Europas,' p. 123. — Wm. Fbas. de V. Kane. 



TjEniocampa gbacilis in Pebthshibe. — Mr. W. Reid (' Annals of 

 Scottish Natural History,' April, p. 119) states that T. gracilis is 

 " curiously uncertain in its appearance, being more abundant every 

 alternate season." In the year 1897, for instance, he only saw three 

 examples of the species, whereas in the previous year it was so abun- 

 dant that he secured over three hundred specimens, and another col- 

 lector took two hundred more. The variation of T. gracilis in Scotland 

 seems to be similar to that exhibited in Irish specimens, as referred to 

 by Mr. de Vismes Kane in his remarks on the species (Entom. 

 xxviii. 253). 



