NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 243 



ACHERONTIA ATROPOS AND COLIAS EDUSA AT ChICHESTER. — 



The larvse of Acherontia atropos have been plentiful upon 

 potatoes in this district. One which I had was entirely minus 

 the usual caudal appendage, the place where the tail should have 

 been being decorated with two bright yellow spots and a per- 

 pendicular black streak. Colias edusa has also appeared in some 

 numbers in fields of clover, the periodical visits of these two 

 species seeming to be coincident, — Joseph Anderson, jun. 



Acherontia atropos in Somerset. — Although resident here 

 since 1867 I have not met with the "death's-head" larva 

 till this year. The first was brought to me on August 10th, 

 another on tlie 16th, two on 22nd, one on 23rd, and one on 24th. 

 Two have since gone below ground, three seem full-fed, and the 

 other seems much younger. They came from gardens in different 

 parts of the town. — W. Macmillan ; Castle Carey, Somerset. 



Sphinx convolvuli.— On August 11th I captured a very fine 

 specimen of Sphinx convolvuli. Is not this a very early appear- 

 ance ? In Sej)tember, 1875, I captured six specimens, but have 

 not seen one since then until this year. — W. G. Nash ; Clavering, 

 Essex, August, 1885. 



OcNERiA DisPAR AT MAIDENHEAD. — Whilst looking over some 

 insects captured at Maidenhead during the last few years by the 

 Eev. E. de Ewer, I noticed a male specimen of Ocneria dispar, 

 which flew to a lighted window at Craufurd College some three 

 years ago. It is well known to our best collectors that this 

 species has not occurred in a natural state in England for many 

 years past ; I believe that the last record is that of a larva taken 

 by myself on sallow at Cherry Hinton, near Cambridge, some 

 ten years since (see Skertchley's ' Fenland Past and Present.'), 

 It would be interesting to know whether any of your readers 

 have come across this species of late years without publicly 

 recording its occurrence. — (Rev.) Gilbert H. Raynor; Rose- 

 mont, Maidenhead, Aug. 5, 1885. 



Erastria venustula. — In reply to Mr. Geo. V, Elstowe 

 (Entom. xviii. 201), I am afraid, as far as my experience goes, 

 that the larva of this beautiful little moth is a fearful cannibal, 

 as I tried to breed some this year, but with very indifferent 

 success. I started with a fine batch of fifty larvae, and each time 

 I changed their food the number decreased until I am now left 



