NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC, 211 



colour. The whole surface has a peculiar streaky appearance 

 caused by the greater boldness of tlie dusky reticulations, 

 as compared with those in N. haja ; these on the dorsal 

 surface mass themselves into a series of lozenge-shaped 

 marks, more or less distinct, each defined posteriorly by a 

 slightly-darker V-shaped shade, the apex (except on the 

 12th segment, where the lozenge becomes a triangle) 

 pointing backwards. On the 11th and l*2th segments the V's 

 are replaced by a pair of dark brown triangular marks. The 

 medio-dorsal and subdorsal lines are ochreous and inter- 

 rupted ; the former passes through the centre of the dorsal 

 lozenges and, in the centre of each segment after the 4th, 

 through a pair of short, curved, ochreous marks, edged 

 anteriorly with smoke-colour: these marks are nearly erased 

 in the dark specimens, but conspicuous in the paler ones. 

 The subdorsal lines are somewhat dilated on the posterior 

 edge of the hinder segments, and are united at the hinder 

 edge of the 12th segment by a transverse ochreous band. 

 There is a slender, whitish, spiracular line sharply defined 

 along its upper edge by a broad dark shade, scalloped above 

 the convexities of the scallops upwards, and followed below 

 by a broad band, grayish or reddish ochreous, mixed with 

 dirty whitish. There is behind each spiracle an oval, dark 

 brown blotch, and a distinct black dot just above the 

 spiracular line in the centre of the 3rd and 4th segments. 

 The ventral surface and claspers are grayish ochreous, 

 slightly tinged with the prevailing ground colour; the legs 

 ochreous-brou n. Spiracles (in the paler larvae) ochreous, in 

 a delicate black ring; in the darker larvae, dark brown, in an 

 ochreous ring. Usual spots ochreous, each accompanied by 

 a dark brown dot. I may mention that in the bright-coloured 

 varieties of N. haja (I have had them of a deep orange) the 

 subdorsal lines are canary-yellow; in the same varieties of 

 N. rhomhoidea they are of the us: al dull ochreous. — Bernard 

 LoCKYER; 27, King Street, Covent Garden, London. 



ACHERONTIA AtROPOS AND ACKONYCTA ALNI. — I have 



obtained, since July 30th, about a dozen larvae of Acherontia 

 Atropos found feeding on Lycium harbarum (tea tree) ; also 

 upon privet : two were the dark brown variety. On August 

 12th my wife found a larva of Acronycta elni, at rest, on 

 dog-rose ; it has since fed up upon pear leiM'es, and is now a 

 pupa; it spun up amongst the loose leaves. One I got last 

 season produced a fine female specimen on the 27th of last 

 May. — G. Baker; Ashby Road, " arton-on-Trent. 



