282 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
wings were crumpled, and this seems also to have been the 
case with Mr. St. John’s specimens. I have not so far ascer- 
tained the cause of the crippled condition of these individuals, 
but should imagine that it is due to the insect being unable 
to free itself from the pupa at the proper time, owing probably 
to the hardening of the pupa shell. If this be the case, 
the pupa should naturally be kept damp. There is also another 
point which has attracted my notice in the breeding of this 
insect, which is this, that all the males come out considerably in 
advance of the females. On reference to my diary, I find that 
out of a large number of both sexes which emerged, 28 males 
appeared between the 4th and 7th of August, and that from the 
10th to the 17th of the same month 35 females emerged in my 
breeding-cages. I should hke to know whether anyone else has 
noticed this fact in breeding Ocneria dispar.—W. H. BuaBer ; 
Beckworth, Lindfield, Sussex, October 21, 1886. 
OcNERIA DISPAR.—In reply to the Rev. J. Seymour St. John 
(Entom. 250), I may say that this year I had fifteen female pupe 
of this insect, and I consequently congratulated myself on being 
at least able to breed a nice series to replace some old specimens 
which I then possessed. I was, however, doomed to be dis- 
appointed, as out of the fifteen I only bred one perfect insect. 
Of the remainder, four were complete cripples, six with just the 
hind wings crumpled up at the edge, and four with one wing only 
slightly crippled. I do not think handling the larve was the 
cause, as I always use a camel-hair brush to remove the cater- 
pillars when necessary, and never with the hand. Last year I had 
about the same result, breeding two perfect insects from twenty 
of their pupe. Nearly all the males which I have bred have 
been perfect.—A. EK. Hani; Norbury, Pitsmoor, Sheffleld. 
Nores FROM SoMERSETSHIRE.—I am sorry to report another 
season of scarcity, especially as regards Noctue, in my neigh- 
bourhood. Very few, even of the more common species, such as 
Triphena pronuba, Phlogophora meticulosa, Anchocelis pistacina, 
came to sugar; and even Polia flavicincta were much fewer than 
is usual. I have had only two larve of Acherontia atropos 
brought to me this year, though last year so very plentiful. The 
autumnal butterflies Vanessa io and V. atalanta were very 
common. I was in Switzerland and Italy in July, and in both 
