126 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
me that he had secured between twenty and thirty in one potato 
field. I had myself eight pupe chiefly found by potato-diggers. 
From several friends I had directions for forcing these, and I 
resolved to try the following method. I half filled a 12-inch pot 
with sand, on which I placed a layer of moss, and on this the 
pupe, covering these with another layer, sprinkling it with tepid 
water. I placed over all a bell glass, and put the pot into a soup 
plate, which I kept constantly filled up with water, and placed 
the whole at a short distance from a sitting-room fire, so as to be 
warm, not hot, occasionally turning the heated side away from 
the fire. I began the treatment the last week in October; on 
December 19th a moth emerged at night. I did not discover it 
until next morning, when I found it “crippled,” not having 
power to cling to the sticks I had provided, and properly 
expand its wings. I then put into the pot, under the bell glass, 
an expanding trellis-work of wood, such as is sold to ornament 
pots of plants for the table. This I subsequently found to 
answer admirably. On January 7th another imago emerged, 
whose wings did not expand at all. February Ist, a good and 
perfect specimen appeared. March 14th, one died when about to 
change, and another emerged but did not get free from a part of the 
pupa case, which spoiled one wing. March 21st, the last came out 
good and perfect. I should add that the fire went out, as usual, 
at night, and the pot, of course, became cold; could I have kept 
the pup in a continuous heat, as in a hot-house, doubtless I 
should not have had to persevere in the treatment so long. Of 
the eight pups, then, two only produced perfect moths fit for a 
cabinet, two more would have been so but for preventable 
accident, one died just before emergence, and the remaining 
three were doubtless injured before they came into my possession, 
and died soon after. I may add that all, with one exception, 
turned on their backs before emerging, and all came out at nearly 
the same time—between nine and ten at night. ‘There may be 
nothing new in the above notes; but yet there are some among 
your readers who may be glad of such a practical narrative. 
Your correspondent, Mr. Jefferys (Entom. 64), may gather from 
it some hints as to the rearing of one of our grandest nocturnal 
moths.—H. W. Livett; Wells, Somerset, March 22nd, 1886. 
VARIETY OF SMERINTHUS POPULI.—It may interest the readers 
of the ‘ Entomologist’ to know that I have a most curious variety 
