126 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



themselves motionless and as much out of sight as possible by 

 day. I never succeeded once in rinding them actually feeding, 

 although their growth between April and June was rapid. So it 

 was with the moths : they emerged from the chrysalis, developed, 

 closed their wings, and settled themselves as if for ever at the 

 back of the cage. But disturb them, and they took off at once. 

 One made straight for the window, which was open not more than 

 half an inch, and got clear away. My opinion of their intelligence 

 improved after this. I should not say they fly fast, but they fly 

 well when they get a start — that is, they appear to be masters in 

 the art of dodging and getting away. 



Trichiura cratcegi. — This is not only an interesting but easy 

 species to rear from the egg, as its life-history occupies only five 

 of the spring and summer months — that is, from the middle of 

 April to the middle of September. A tumbler-glass, and after- 

 wards a cage, are all the accommodation necessary. The larvae 

 are at first gregarious, and even in appearance they remind one 

 very much of Eriogaster lanestris, to which species they are 

 evidently closely related. The eggs I had hatched April 16th, 

 1898. I fed the larvae on blackthorn, and all went well till I 

 nearly lost them about the end of June. I had read somewhere 

 that they made their cocoons among the food-plant, but they 

 declined this hint altogether, and wandered restlessly about. I 

 then put a couple of inches of moss in the bottom of the cage, 

 and they at once disappeared in it. The moths emerged between 

 the 7th and 14th of September. 



Taniocampa gracilis. — On June 24th, 1898, in Sealand Road, 

 near Chester, I observed the unopened blossom-heads of meadow- 

 sweet growing in the ditches to be spun together. On opening 

 them I found each to contain a caterpillar more than half- 

 grown of some noctuid. They presented the following appear- 

 ance on July 2nd : — Head pale green, the face reticulated with 

 brown. Dorsal and subdorsal areas grass-green, the subdorsal 

 area paler. A mid-side black stripe. Below this black stripe 

 there is a pale green stripe containing the blackish spiracles. 

 Legs and claspers green. On July 13th they had reached the 

 next or final stage, and began to pupate in the soil of the flower- 

 pots. The following is a description : — Head and dorsal area 

 warm pale brown, rather olive-brown. Subdorsal area paler. 

 A mid-side black stripe toning off rapidly into the brown dorsal 

 area. Below this black stripe is a pale brown stripe containing 

 the white spiracles, which are surrounded by black rings. Legs 

 and claspers brown. Newman gives a description similar to this 

 as a varietal form, but all my caterpillars assumed this colora- 

 tion. Some authors appear to describe the larva from the pre- 

 ceding or green stage, and I can nowhere find meadow-sweet 

 (already fresh and green) given as a pabulum. My idea was that 

 these caterpillars were most likely Anchocelis litiira, but when 



