NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 87 



inents in the male, and one in which the male has four filaments. 

 If it is worth while to recognise Oudahlis as distinct from Dactij- 

 lopiiis, the parallel forms in Phenacoccus should similarly be 

 separated, and it is here proposed to call them Paroudablis. 

 Typical Phenacoccus will include such species as P. aceris, and 

 even, so far as the filaments of the male go, the otherwise 

 peculiar P. yiiccce. Paroudablis will include Loew's piccte ; Be 

 Charmoy's Mauritius insect, which is at present nameless ; and 

 my hclianthi. For the present, however, I would treat it only as 

 a subgenus of Phenacoccus ; and Oudahlis may be considered a 

 subgenus of Dactylojnus. 



A word should be added regarding Phenacoccus socius (New- 

 stead), found at Wakefield, Yorkshire. The male is said to have 

 " two long and two short white filaments, the latter not reaching 

 beyond the closed wings." This points to a Paroudablis. The 

 species is stated to be near P. mespili, but to differ in being 

 greenish-yellow. This is almost exactly what might be said of 

 P. pruni (Burmeister), but in view of Burmeister's inadequate 

 description, the identity of pruni with socius could only be sur- 

 mised, hardly proved. 



Mesilla Park, New Mexico : Dec. 14th, 1899. 



NOTES AND OBSEEVATIONS. 



A Second Geneeation of Vanessa io, Linn. — M. Ude records 

 (Entom. Nachrichten, 1899, xxv. 3G6) that on Sept. 20th last he 

 found at Eehberge, near Berlin, a number of half-grown larvae of V. io 

 (found as a rule only iu May or June, sometimes iu July), which pro- 

 duced normal butterflies iu due course. The author remarks that hi 

 the course of twelve years" collecting he has never before found a 

 second generation of this species. — G. W. K. 



Earwigs Beneficial. — Forjicida auricxdaria, Linn., is reported 

 (' Rovartani Lapok,' 1899, p. 175, and appendix, p. IG) to be beneficial 

 by exterminating larvfe of Conchilis ambuiuella. This supports iiiihl's 

 opinion as to the normal diet of the earwig being carnivorous (1887, 

 M.T. Schweiz. Ges. vh. 310).— G. W. K. 



The Flavour of Caterpillars. — " De La Lande — the celebrated 

 astronomer," says d'Isjonvalle, "often supped with me on Saturdays, 

 and found nothmg more to his hking than to eat caterpillars and 

 spiders when in season. As my room opened directly on to a fine 

 garden, he easily found the wherewithal to satisfy his first hunger; 

 but as Madame d'Isjonvalle likes to do things well, she used to collect 

 some during the afternoon, to offer him on his arrival. As I always 

 declined my share of this relish, I can only trust to hearsay for the 

 difference in flavour between a spider and a caterpillar. The first, says 

 our astronomer, has a nutty taste, the second a taste exactly like that of 

 stone-fruit." (A. Daguin,m ' Le Naturahste,' 1899, p. 25).— G. W. K. 



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