194 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



lithoxylea, and many others. The larvae of Pieris hrassiccs and 

 P. rapce were very plentiful in August and September, and 

 proved very destructive in gardens about here. On July 13th 

 I noticed EpinepheU ianira and Coenonympha pamphilus in 

 great abundance around Kinver Edge. — Thomas Hill ; March 

 End, Wednesfield, near Wolverhampton. 



Arctia mendica feeding on Birch. — Is it generally known 

 that Arctia mendica sometimes feeds on birch ? Early in June 

 last year, whilst Mr. George Tindall, of Doncaster, and I were 

 searching for larvae of Phycis hetulella in the Green Farm Wood, 

 Doncaster, Mr. Tindall found a batch of eggs on a birch leaf. 

 Not being aware that mendica fed in a wild state on anything but 

 low plants, we did not recognize to what species they belonged, 

 so at Mr. Tindall's suggestion I reared them. The young larvae 

 took readily to birch, and soon proved themselves to be a batch 

 of mendica. Even then we supposed the circumstance to be 

 accidental until the 30th of May last; whilst again collecting 

 larvae of P. betidella, on the same ground, another batch of eggs 

 of mendica was found on a birch leaf, and near it was soon 

 afterwards secured a moth of this species. The larva of Arctia 

 lidtricipeda is often found feeding high up on trees, and it is 

 evident that its cousin mendica sometimes gets " higher notions" 

 as well. It may be added that larvae of P. betidella were plentiful, 

 and we also took a few of Coleophora currucipennella. — Geo. T. 

 PoRRiTT ; Huddersfield, June 18, 1885. 



AcRONYCTA ALNi. — In the latter part of September, 1884, I 

 took a larva of A, alni feeding on sallow, which pupated the 

 following month, spinning up in the leaves of its food-plant. 

 The perfect insect appeared on the 4th of June, 1885. — 

 C. K. Tero; b 33, Kent Street, Grimsby, June 24, 1885. 



Abundance of Tortrix Larv^. — During the last few seasons 

 Lepidoptera seem to have occurred in less numbers than of 

 old. This year, however, I have noticed many oak trees quite 

 bare of leaves, chiefly owing to the devastations of Tortrix 

 vir'idana larvae. When riding through some oak woods at 

 Warley, on Saturday last, a loud cawing of rooks attracted my 

 attention, and on looking up I witnessed a sight entirely novel in 

 my experience. There, on the topmost branches of a fine old 

 oak, whose few remaining leaves were twisted up, and doubtless 



