NOTES, CAPTURES, E'Irc. 281 
AUTUMNAL EMERGENCE OF AROTIA CAIA.—Last June a female 
Arctia caia deposited a batch of ova, from which I have at the 
present moment larve, pups, imagines, and some ova which have 
not yet yielded larve.—H. Suarr; 23, Union Street, London, W. 
[Some entomologists, who rear this species for the sake of 
varieties, get three distinct broods annually by rearing them in 
heat, and the latter broods are usually most prolific in variation. 
—J. T. C.] 
OcNERIA DISPAR. — The Rev. J. Seymour St. John asks 
(Entom. 250) why so many of the females of Ocneria dispar 
that he breeds are cripples. It is some years since I reared this 
species, but I well remember that when I did so my experience 
very closely coincided with his, and I have little doubt that the 
number of cripples produced in each instance arose from the 
same cause. Mr. St. John does not mention the source whence 
his young larvee were derived, but as it is very doubtful whether 
this specics has occurred in a wild state in this country for many 
years past, it may be inferred that they were, as in my case, the 
offspring of parents inbred for many generations; and if that be 
so, I think we need not look beyond the generally accepted 
theory, that inbreeding tends towards a deterioration of species, 
for a solution of the problem. ‘The impaired vitality would be 
likely to show in the imperfect development of the wings, and the 
females being presumably the weaker (although in this case 
considerably larger) sex, would be likely to be the more readily 
affected.— Ropert Apxkin; Wallfield, Lingards Road, Lewisham. 
[In confinement the females of Ocneria dispar probably have 
but little chance of employing their wings. The disuse of any 
organ, generation after generation, tends to produce a cramped or 
wasted condition in such organ.—R. §.]. 
OcNERIA DispaR.—Since finding the larve of this species in 
Warwickshire last year, as recorded (Kntom. xviil. 263), I have 
had a little experience in breeding the moth, and have noticed 
exactly the same thing as the Rey. J. Seymour St. John draws 
attention to (Entom. 250), namely the crippled state of a 
number of the females on emerging. Although I have had 
some specimens which have not developed in the slightest 
degree after leaving the pupa, still the greater number of 
cripples were only crippled insomuch that the edges of their 
ENIOM —NovV., 1886. 20 
