NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 129 



owned the cast skin. Is it not very unusual for lu/nipenla larvffi to 

 moult within the cocoon sometime previous to pupation ? Is the close 

 propinquity of tlie two larviB underground, each presumably occupying 

 a separate cocoon — one not being observed by the gardener — merely a 

 coincidence, or has that apparent display of sociability been noticed 

 before ? — Dr. May ; Hay ling Island. 



Dwarf Rhopalocera. — In the spring of 1896, during a stay in 

 Guernsey, I captured a dwarf specimen of Fieris napi. It measured 

 exactly 34 mm. in expanse. It was flying on low marshy land. 



In a certain part of the woods overlooking Weston-super-Mare I 

 have come across very small male specimens of Kuc/doe canlamines. 

 The one I have in my collection measures 38 mm. in expanse. The 

 whole form of the insect is different from ordinary specimens ; in fact, 

 except in colouring, the insect puts one in mind of Leucophnsia sinapis, 

 both in shape and in delicacy of construction. I have seen several 

 flying about the same spot. — J. L. Saxby ; Larkfield, Kent. 



Referring to Mr. Gardinall's capture of a couple of dwarf V. ata- 

 lanta and the editorial note on same, appearing in your last issue, it 

 may be of interest to state that, in August, 1899, I discovered in a 

 solitary bed of nettles, situated in an exposed spot, a quantity of pupje, 

 in appearance those of V. tiUilanta, but in size resembling V. nrticce. 

 The fact that hosts of small ichneumons were emerging from one of 

 the pup£B led me to believe tliat the whole of them were ichneumoned, 

 assuming them to be V. atalanta. I determined, however, to test this 

 theory, and took :ill the pupae I could find — about three dozen. In the 

 course of a week or ten days emergences commenced, and from all the 

 pupfe but two ichneumons were bred. The two exceptions produced 

 perfect imagines of V . atalantu, but of the size mentioned by Mr. Car- 

 dinall. Probably similar attacks by ichneumons result in the develop- 

 ment of the dwarf specimens met with on tiie wing. — A. Russell ; 

 The Limes, Southend, Catford, S.E. 



Naturalized Cockroaches. — FlnjUodrnmin germanica, one of the 

 four exotic cockroaches which have established themselves in the 

 British Isles, swarms in an old house at Blackheath. This is yet 

 another addition to the rather lengthy list of positions it has seized, 

 which are usually hotels and restaurants. Another of the four, Blatta 

 americana, is thoroughly established in a sugar refinery at Silvertown, 

 a locality from which it does not seem to have been previously 

 announced. — W. J. Lucas ; Kingston-on-Thames. 



Humming Sound of Macroglossa stellatarum. — I was rather 

 interested in Mr. Anderson's note on the above (Entom. xxxii. 306), as 

 I came across an instance of the same thing when at Wei-hai-wei in 

 1898. This, however, was out of doors, the moth being at the time 

 poised over flowers on a hillside. The sound was very audible, 

 reminding one of a Botnbus, but louder and deeper. — T. B. Fletcher; 

 H.M.S. ' Centurion,' Jan. 31st, 1900. 



A Correction. — In view of the interest now taken in the insect 

 fauna of the London district, it may be as well to correct the following 

 error : — In the ' Entomologist,' vol. xxiv. p. 281, under Gunoptera 



