248 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Bomhyx trifolii found at Tenby and sent to Mrs. Hutchinson, 

 who very kindly forwarded the batch of eggs to the writer. 

 When received on the 23rd July a great number of the flies were 

 out, and many eggs entire, thereby showing the inhabitants had 

 not left their dwelling; eighteen of the eggs that were entire 

 were placed in separate boxes, with a view of recording the 

 number each egg contained, but I am sorry to say the flies in 

 these and many others, on examination, proved to be dead 

 within the egg ; the number contained within each egg varied from 

 seven to ten ; the flies, when they leave the egg, do so from a 

 single round hole. Mr. Fitch, who kindly named this species, 

 says, " Walker described five other species, belonging to the same 

 section of the genus. Goetze bred it from B. castrensis eggs, and 

 it has several times been recorded from P. hucephala eggs ; Nees 

 obtained it from some large Bomhyx, also from eggs laid on 

 sallow and from poplar." About four years since I found six 

 eggs of of ^. ocellatus ; these were infested with an egg-parasite. 

 Some of the genus are solitary in their attacks. — G. C Bignell; 

 Stonehouse, Plymouth, August 15, 1885. 



MicROGASTER ALVEARius. — I have tliis day bred the extra- 

 ordinary number of one hundred and thirty-three from a larva of 

 Boarmia gemmaria {rhomhoiclaria) found on jessamine at Laira. 

 I have on a former occasion obtained ninety -five, and thought 

 that was a great number to be supported by the unfortunate 

 victim ; but now obtaining an additional tliirty-eight I think it 

 worth recording. — G. C. Bignell; August 21, 1885. 



/ Mimicry. — In the ably written article on " Mimicry " in 



Insects, by Mr. Trimen in the ' Entomologist ' for March, 1885, 

 I notice that he says the term " Mimicry " was first used by 

 Mr. Bates as applied to the insect world. Now in Kirby and 

 Spence's ' Introductory Letters to Entomology,' published in 

 1815, the word is frequently used, as for instance, on page 5 : — 

 " Nay sometimes this Mimicry is so exquisite that you would 

 mistake the whole insect for a portion of the branching spray of a 

 tree." I merely quote this, as Kirby and Spence have done more 

 for Entomology than most men, rescuing and elevating it, at a 

 time when to study insects was thought to be indicative of a 

 weak mind, and assisted it to become what it is now, one of the 

 first and most delightful and interesting of studies. Palinam 

 qui meruit ferat. — Gko. Barnard ; Queensland, May 12, J 885. 



