THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 85 



Sting of a nettle, and lasting for eighteen hours. Repeated 

 applications of water had not the slightest effect ; a few drops 

 of strong liquid aunnonia removed the pfiin, but the sensation 

 returned as the ammonia evaporated. The pain was so feeble 

 that I was unconscious of it when conversing with my friends, 

 and only sensible of its existence when my thoughts were not 

 occupied with something else. It continued nearly the same 

 throughout the eighteen hours, and went away suddenly in 

 about ten minutes. My experience of the bite of this insect 

 has been such as to induce me to handle it carefully, as 1 am 

 by no means anxious for a renewal of sensations which, 

 although at first momentary and not decidedly painful, are 

 afterwards prolonged and therefore unpleasant. — Harland 

 Coultas ; 69, Shrubland Road, Dalsion, May 1, 1866. 



Prior Appearance of Male or Female Lepidoptera. — 

 Like Mr. Doubleday, I think " this subject possesses little 

 interest," at all events for old breeders, whatever interest 

 it may possess for those who do not remember the matter 

 being settled to the satisfaction of said old breeders long 

 ago, or to jaunty writers who are " zealous as new converts," 

 and in haste to prove people mean more or less than they 

 say. For anyone to collect a lot of larvae full-fed, as in the 

 case of Lilhosia caniola, and base an argument upon the ap- 

 pearance of one or the other sex therefrom, is self-evident 

 folly, because I do not remember anyone ever saying all one 

 sex appeared before the first specimen of its mates put in an 

 appearance ; and as our friends do not pretend to have cap- 

 tured every caniola larva on Howth or elsewhere, how are 

 they to settle prior appearance from a promiscuous lot, it 

 may be parts of many broods, it may also be of many ages ? 

 When Mr. Edleston says, " Mr. Doubleday's assertion, that 

 the males commence flying when the females come out of 

 the pupae, is not correct," he is himself in error. I did not nn- 

 derstand Mr. Doubleday to mean the males sat still until the 

 moment of female emergence, neither has anyone with whom 

 1 have conversed on the subject, or that the females were not 

 stretched when the males deserted them ; but even Mr. Edle- 

 ston, with his great experience amongst the long list of com- 

 mon species (Enlom. iii. 68), seems to require to see other 

 species in cop., whilst yet the female is undeveloped or quite 

 lin)p ; and if he will watch a brood of the common Hepialus 



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