NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 151 



Milliere's * Iconograph of New and Little-known Lepidoptera,' but 

 Mr. South, on page 99, absolutely describes 2:)lagiodactylus larva 

 taken by himself in July, when, so far as I know the habits 

 of scahiodactylus, no larva of the species could be in existence at 

 that time. In proof of how little was known until recently 

 of the life -history of this plume, and that even now we do not 

 know much, I may say that Zeller, in 1841, called Haworth's 

 bipuncticlactyla, serotinus ; and a variety of it he called micto- 

 dactylus. Then Stainton called it plagiodactylus in his Supple- 

 mentary ' Catalogue ' and in his ' Manual,' as did Milliere ; and again, 

 Zeller christened it aridus, 1847 - 50. And now our good friend 

 Mr. South says I have christened it scahiodactylus. That is not 

 so ; I have differentiated the larvae of both species, and figured 

 them, finding scahiodactylus is not any of the above, but a most 

 distinct species, nearly allied to yelidnodactylus, Zell., but not so 

 large as that species. Then Mr. South tells us that his series of 

 gonodactylus, Sta., varies very much. May not some of these 

 be P. fa7'fara, Zell., a smaller, redder, and darker species than 

 Mr. South's gonodactylus, and more like zetterstedti in colour 

 and marking ? We have a coltsfoot-feeding larva in Wales, in 

 June, which makes a gallery through the fluff on the underside 

 of the leaf. Can this be the larva of P. farfara, Zell. ? — C. S. 

 Geegson; Liverpool, April, 1885. 



Attractions for Lepidoptera. — The following extract from 

 the ' Bulletin ' of the Brooklyn Entomological Society for 

 December, 1844 (vol. vii., p. 105), may be of interest to some 

 readers of the 'Entomologist:' — ".Dr. Holland stated that the 

 burning gas-well near Pittsburgh illumined the country for 

 miles around, and insects were attracted by the thousands, so that 

 a circle of scorched insects was each morning to be found. 

 Among them were many large Bombycidse, principally males. 

 Over 100 male Saturnia io were found one morning. He fears 

 this may eventually cause the destruction of the larger Bombycidse 

 in that vicinity. The larva of io, else common enough, is this 

 season extremely rare. At an electric light a large number of 

 very good species had been taken. Mr. Grsef related the 

 experience of some collectors, who threw a powerful light against 

 a white sheet, giving a large white surface, which proved very 

 attractive. Mr. Smith related his practice in the Catskills, 

 pulling down a thin white blind to an open window, and setting a 



