406 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
felled: the females were engaged in oviposition, which they 
accomplished by introducing their ovipositor into the fissures 
made in cutting the trees. It is evident that the trees thus 
infested will be rapidly destroyed; but M. Berce thinks they 
might readily be saved by some of the numerous applications 
recommended to preserve timber. 
Cockchaffer in March.—During the past March one of our 
men has found several specimens of the common cockchaffer, 
Melolontha vulgaris (which the country people here call the 
“‘ May beetle”), buried in the earth. One which the man 
brought me last week was alive, and in fair condition. As I 
cannot find a complete life-history of this insect in my books, 
I am curious to know if these specimens emerged from the 
pupa during the autumn, and passed the winter in the perfect 
state under-ground.—C. J. Watkins; King’s Mill, Pains- 
wick, March 3, 1871. 
The larva of the common cockchaffer is found in that state 
during nine months of the year, but of various sizes and 
_ In various degrees of maturity. It is said to live four years 
before turning to a beetle; and I believe this final change 
generally takes place in March or April. 
Name, of a Moth.—Would you kindly tell me what moth 
the two enclosed wings belong to? I cannot find it amongst 
the Noctuz, to which it evidently belongs, in your work on 
‘British Moths.’ I found them in a spider's web.—John A. 
Lilly; Collaton Vicarage, August 21, 1871. 
The wings are those of Halias quercana: it is not included 
in my volumes of ‘ Butterflies’ and‘ Moths,’ because these only 
comprise the Macro-Lepidoptera. I adopt the division em- 
ployed in Staudinger’s Catalogue; leaving the Micro-Lepi- 
doptera for a more competent hand. 
Tenacity of Life-—A somewhat remarkable instance of 
tenacity of life in insects came under my observation on 
July 17th. On the morning in question the enclosed insect, 
or rather portion of an insect, was crawling up a blade 
of grass, and attempting to fly. It attracted my attention 
from the peculiar manner in which the fruitless attempt was 
made. I boxed it, and it lived through the whole of that day 
and the following night, and up to the following mid-day. How 
long it had been in this almost bodiless state, before I saw it, 
of course I cannot say; but it certainly lived some thirty or 
