16 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



of C. arvensis, and succeeded in getting one to full size. Description: — 

 Head yellow, with five black stripes : ground colour almost black ; 

 an indistinct yellow cliain-like dorsal line ; subdorsal and spiracular 

 lines of the same colour ; stripes and anal flap yellow ; spiracles bright 

 red ; horn slightly curved, tip and base black, with a central band 

 of rufous. I cannot see that the ova or larvae at any age bear 

 resemblance to those of S. ligustri in form, colour, or behaviour. Con- 

 trary to the larva? of ligustri, convolvuli, on being touched, or even the 

 food shaken, would turn the head sharply round until it met the last 

 segment, and then dropped from the plant. I believe the larva? may 

 not be so uncommon as generally supposed, but somehow lepido- 

 pterists have failed to discover them in any quantities. The perfect 

 insect has been very plentiful here this season. My brother and I 

 have for many years tried to obtain ova from captive S. convolvuli, 

 however, without success until the present season ; this success, I 

 think, is owing to procuring the female so early. We seldom get 

 8. convolvuli until well on in August. Generally we open the dead 

 bodies of this species, but rarely find ova. — Alfred Brazenor ; 

 Brighton, Nov. 26th, 1898. 



The Basal Spot on Amphidasys betularia. — I have a series of four 

 bred specimens of the black variety, doubled ay aria — three females and 

 one male. The females have a distinct white spot at the bases of the 

 upper wings. This spot is absent in the male. My series of the type 

 betularia is a small one, but the foregoing observations would seem to 

 apply, though not so clearly, to the typical insect as well. Has 

 anyone previously noticed this, possibly sexual, distinction ? — 

 J. Arkle ; Chester. 



Forficula lesnei. — M. de Bormans, of Savoy, sends me the 

 following notes on F. lesnei (Entom. xxxi. pp. 49, 273) : — " Yoici ce 

 que dit M. Finot de cet insecte : — !' Cette espece a ete trouvee sur les 

 herbes et les buissons, en Septembre, a St. Arnoult et Benerville, pres 

 de Trouville (Calvados ; marais de Villers-sur-mer).' En revisaut la 

 collection Brisout de Barneville, j'y ai trouve quatre exemplaires de 

 F. lesnei, etiquetes : F. pubescens, et provenant de St. Germain-en-Laye, 

 pres de Paris. Parmi les nombreux individus $ que je possede de 

 F. pubescens et F. decipiens, les uns (plus nombreux) ont les pointes 

 (apex) de la pince separees, d'autres les ont contigues, mais aucun ne 

 presente les pointes entrecroisees. Begulierement F. lesnei a 12 

 articles antennaires, F. pubescens 12, et F. decipiens 13." — "W. J. Lucas ; 

 4, Minerva Koad, Kingston-on-Thames. 



The Insect " Protection Committee." — As adverted to by Mr. 

 Hodges (Entom. xxxi. 277), there has been a distinct falling off in the 

 number of records of local or otherwise interesting species, not only 

 during the past year but also in 1897. I am, however, inclined to 

 believe that this regrettable state of affairs was the result of other 

 causes than the action of the " Protection Committee." The laudable 

 endeavour of the said Committee, acting under the auspices of the 

 Entomological Society of London, to impress upon collectors the 

 wisdom of exercising moderation in their drafts on colonies of special 

 insects and those restricted to limited areas in this country, should not 



