298 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Within the last three|weeks, however, I and two of my sons 

 have captured above one hundred, in various stages of 

 growth ; indeed I may say that in some of our rambles every 

 chimp of Gahum we examined contained several. — JV. Hay- 

 ward ; August 23, 1865. 



220. Habits of Macroglossa Slellatarum. — I have no 

 doubt that this insect, like many other species of Sphingina, 

 sometimes passes two winters in the pupa state. It was not 

 uncommon near London in 1863 : last year I saw only one 

 imago, and not a single larva. This year it has been plen- 

 tiful about London, and numerous accounts of its occurrence 

 in various English counties have appeared. It would seem 

 as if its appearance was in some mysterious way connected 

 with the abundance or scarcity of its favourite food, namely, 

 Galium verum and G. aparine. These plants are of uncertain 

 growth, in some years covering the hedges and banks pro- 

 fusely ; in other and drier seasons scarcely any will be seen. 

 An entomological friend and myself repeatedly noticed, last 

 year, the sudden dying down of the species of Galium, in 

 various places, for lack of moisture, and speculated as to 

 what the larva? which fed upon it, almost exclusively, would 

 do in such a predicament. Macroglossa Stellatarum is usually 

 seen on the wing through the months of May, June and July ; 

 so that either the imagos emerge in succession, or they are 

 longer lived than most moths, in captivity I have had them 

 out in September, when the weather has been warm for the 

 season. This moth's penchant for flowers is well known, but 

 I have lately heard of a more singular one. A man engaged 

 in a coal-yard at Putney, who at one time collected insects, 

 informs me that during the past summer he was surprised to 

 find, evening after evening, M. Stellatarum fluttering over the 

 coal-heaps. He at first was inclined to suppose that they 

 were attracted by some flowers in an adjacent garden, but as 

 he was showing the moth to some of the men he was told that 

 they had frequently seen it settling on the coal-barges ; so it 

 would seem there is sonje aroma given ofl" from coal, which 

 drawls the moth to it. Both the dark and light varieties of 

 the larva have been common this season, as might be ex- 

 pected. It seems diflScult to rear, requiring to be kept in a 

 cool place, and supplied very freely with food. Its growth, 

 after the second change of skin, proceeds very rapidly ; 



