84 : THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
also be found on any leguminous plant which has a turgid legume,— 
Genista anglica for instance,—but I think the larva could not exist 
except on plants which have these swollen pods, as it feeds inside 
the legume. The species when on the wing might be easily 
passed over as a specimen of Lycena Icarus, and it is to this 
cause that I attribute the fact that it often happens young 
collectors who capture nearly every species they see on the wing 
are often rewarded, as in the present instance, by taking a great 
rarity, which would have escaped the notice of an older 
entomologist, who had long since obtained a full series of 
common species.—J. JENNER WEIR. ] 
Protective Hapir or THE Lycmnipm.—lIt is a trite remark 
that butterflies not otherwise specially protected generally prefer 
to settle on objects, the coloration of which closely approaches 
their own. Last August, in the Chiltern Hills, I noticed Lycena 
Alexis haunting by preference a very common white umbelliferous 
flower (which my ignorance of botany does not enable me to 
name), whose florets have small intervals between them, so that 
when seen from a little distance it has an ocellated appearance. 
When a blue settles on this flower and closes its wings their 
ocellated under surface becomes almost invisible, unless you see 
the insect move.—J. W. SuaTeR; 3, Bicester Road, Aylesbury. 
ACRONYCTA ALNI AT Torquay.—While staying at Torquay in 
the middle of August of last year, I obtained a full-fed larva of 
Acronycta alni, but it was unfortunately killed with the beating- 
stick.—C. Winn; Aldin House, Slough. 
CRYMODES EXULIS AND Hapena Assrmitis.—I should be glad 
if any person can throw light upon the identity or severance of 
the two above-named species. I do not profess to be a learned 
entomologist, nor wish in my note to enter upon the details of 
the appearance of these insects, of both of which I believe I 
possess a specimen. I suppose they are still assumed to be 
identical. Newman figures both (among those very beautiful 
illustrations, whose accuracy, as a rule, even suggests the very 
colouring of the creature in a way no other illustrations J ever 
saw have succeeded in doing), still he says he cannot distinguish 
them,—and yet his drawings are widely divergent; and the 
drawing named Hadena assimilis is very dissimilar from Hadena 
adusta, from which I believe it gets its specific name; whilst his 
