NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 257 
by me since the year 1878, when they were so plentiful.—J. M. 
ApyE ; Somerford Grange, Christchurch, Sept. 20, 1886. 
LEPIDOPTERA OF THE TAME VALLEY.—It may perhaps interest 
some of your readers to know that the number of species of 
Macro- Lepidoptera which have been recorded as having occurred 
in the Tame Valley (of which Birmingham is the centre) is 473, 
which is considerably more than half of the number of species 
occurring in the British Isles. The above number is made up 
as follows: — Rhopalocera, 54; Heterocera (Sphinges, 24; 
Bombyces, 77; Noctue, 178; Geometre, 140), 419. There is 
no doubt that the district contains considerably more than that, 
but at present it has been but imperfectly worked.—W. Harcourt 
Batu; Sutton Coldfield, September, 1886. 
Eatine Cicapas. — “ Mr. Howard remarked (Proc. Ent. Soe. 
of Washington, vol. i., p. 29, June, 1885) upon his experience 
regarding the edibility of the Periodical Cicada. He had con- 
tinued the experiment begun by Dr. Riley, the latter having 
been called away from town. With the aid of the Doctor’s cook 
he had prepared a plain stew, a thick milk stew, and a broil. 
The Cicadas were collected just as they emerged from the pupe, 
and were thrown into cold water, in which they remained over 
night. They were cooked the next morning, and served at 
breakfast-time. They imparted a distinct and not unpleasant 
flavour to the stews, but were not at all palatable themselves, as 
they were reduced to nothing but bits of flabby skin. The broil 
lacked substance. The most palatable method of cooking is to 
fry in batter, when they remind one of shrimps. ‘They will 
never prove a delicacy.” 
Rapip Hatcutne or Lermoprerous Ova.— In the evening 
of Saturday, the 6th of August, a worn female specimen of 
Acidalia aversata deposited some two dozen ova in a pill-box. 
On seeing Mr. G. H. Raynor’s remarks on this subject (Hntom. 
p. 209), I determined to note carefully how long these eggs 
would be in hatching. About four p.m., on Thursday the 11th 
August, upon looking into the pill-box in which they had been 
laid, I was exceedingly surprised to find that all the ova had 
produced young larve, thus being only five days from depositing 
to hatching. I may say that here the weather has been unusually 
cold for August.—A. E. Hatt; Norbury, Pitsmoor, Sheffield. 
ENTOM — OCcT., 1886. 21 
