300 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
was a very small piece of ground planted with broccoli, and on 
these plants the larvee were swarming in all stages of growth. 
The damage done was most apparent, as nearly every broccoli 
appeared reduced to a mere skeleton. I am sure that I could 
have obtained thousands and thousands of larve had I been so 
inclined. After this I made enquiries, and also visited several 
gardens in different places, with the result that everywhere the 
larvee were equally abundant. In the districts round this village 
(Lindfield) I have ascertained that the larve have done serious 
mischief this autumn, having appeared in immense numbers 
nearly everywhere. The larve have been pupating during the 
last few weeks, and are still doing so; and I have noticed that a 
very large percentage are attacked by Microgaster glomeratus, 
whose small yellow cocoons are appearing on walls, &¢., up which 
the larvee are crawling. The question now arises—Wherefore 
this extreme plentifulness of these larve this year? I had always 
been inclined to believe that a dry summer was best suited to 
their growth and development, but it can hardly be said that the 
summer we have just experienced has been anything like a dry 
one on the whole. Iam rather of opinion that the scarcity or 
abundance of the larvee depends a good deal on the weather being 
unfavourable or favourable to the development of the parasite, 
and also on the weather experienced in some seasons being more 
suitable than in others, for the successful growth of the larva of 
the butterfly itself. However, be the cause whatever it may, 
there is still a great deal to be found out concerning these 
mysterious and sudden appearances of the larve in such 
quantities in certain seasons, when in others they are com- 
paratively scarce; and it would therefore be interesting to hear 
the opinion of others on the subject. I may add that P. brassice 
has, as far as my experience goes, been very scarce indeed in the 
imago this summer. I have seen but very few on the wing, not 
more perhaps than fifteen or sixteen specimens the whole summer. 
—W. H. Buaser; Beckworth, Lindfield, Sussex, Oct. 18, 1886. 
SpHincip% in Sussex.—In the October issue of this 
magazine I see only one recorded capture of Sphina convolwult, 
and as entomologists seem to think that a good year for this 
insect must be followed by a bad one, perhaps your readers will 
be interested by the following notes. In the spring I had my 
garden planted with such flowers as are supposed to be attractive 
