244 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



with six only. Their shape is most singular, the first segments 

 being humped, so that when stretched out on the side of the jar 

 in which they are fed they present a curious tadpole appearance. 

 I tried to feed them upon knot-grass, bramble-blossom, and 

 Tormentilla, but they refused everything but the latter, and of 

 that only the flowers and seed-heads. Judging from what I have 

 observed, it would be a most difficult larva to find by searching, 

 as it drops from the food at the slightest noise, and curls itself 

 up into a compact ring, after the manner of a savvfl}^ larva.— J. A. 

 Cooper; Sussex Cottage, Harrow Road, Leytonstone, Aug. 4. 



Eremobia ochroleuca abundant at Gravesend. — Between 

 the 29th July and the 15th August, at flowers of Centaurea 

 scahiosa, in a lane near Chalk, Gravesend, I found E. ochroleuca 

 quite commonly. Although most of the specimens were much 

 worn I was able to secure a few in fairly good condition. Next to 

 Plusia gamma it was the commonest Noctua at the flower-heads. 

 In the same lane, during the present season, I have taken 

 Conchylis stram'mea {stramineana) and Euchromia puiyurana. — 

 F. G. Whittle; 2, Cambridge Terrace, Lupus Street, S.W. 



Unusual Dates for Lepidoptera. — The following instances, 

 taken from other notes, of the appearance of Lepidoptera which 

 seem to be out of their usual time, may perhaps be interesting : — 



1881, September 15th, Argynnis aglaia, fine female, in S. Wales. 



1882, July 11th, Lyccena minima {alsus) (alone), Somersetshire, 

 perfect condition. 1883, October, first week. Abraxas sylvata 

 (ulmata). 1884, September 12th, Epione a2)icia.na, just emerged, 

 South Wales ; September 19th, Cidaria testata, fresh specimens 

 amongst dwarf sallows on sea-coast; October 14th, Gortyna 

 ochracea {flavago), Dorsetshire, in perfect condition. 1885, 

 January 26th, Xylina oi'nithojnis (rldzolitJia) , Somersetshire ; 

 February 24th, Xylocampa areola (Uthorhiza) ; April 24th, 

 Mela7ithia ocellata, just emerged; June 17th, Gonopteryx rliamni, 

 nine months of existence. — T. B. Jefferys; Clevedon, July, 1885. 



Cleoceris (Epunda) viminalis and Melanippe tristata. — 

 This year I have again had the pleasure of breeding some 

 fine black forms of C. viminalis. I have also a very few 

 of a lighter type amongst them, but when compared with 

 the southern or New Forest specimens are much more 

 distinctly black and white (resembling the colour of Polia clii) 

 without that ochreous or metallic shade. The insect is very 



