THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 351 



— A despatch forwarded by the Foreign Office from Her 

 Majesty's Consul-General in Egypt, enclosing a letter from 

 a scientific chemist established in that country, describing a 

 new insect that had caused much havoc in the cotton crops 

 of Egypt during the last two years, having been received by 

 the Cotton Supply Association, together with a request that 

 the case of specimens accompan}ing it might be submitted 

 to scientific investigation in England, in order, if possible, 

 to discover means to prevent in future the losses occasioned 

 by this scourge, the following communication has been 

 received from Professor Williamson : — " Fallowfield, Man- 

 chester, August 8th, 1867. — My dear Sir: With respect to 

 the Egyptian insects, I have to remark that the moth which 

 has proved so destructive to the cotton plant is the Earias 

 siliquana, hitherto an extremely rare insect. Its sudden 

 appearance over so wide an area is in itself a remarkable 

 phenomenon. There appears to be no remedy for it but that 

 of picking off the larvae when in their very young state, 

 a process that I presume is scarcely capable of being adopted 

 on so large a scale as would be necessary in the present 

 instance. The probability is that the plague will die out as 

 mysteriously as it came, returning, however, from time to 

 time, as is the case with the caterpillars which are so 

 destructive amongst forest trees, especially amongst the oaks 

 in spring. I have corresponded with some of our leading 

 Entomologists on the subject, and they agree with me as to 

 the impossibility of applying any practical remedy to the 

 evil. Nothing remains, therefore, but for the cotton growers 

 to persevere, hoping for the return of better days. Of course 

 you are already aware that it is only the crops that are 

 planted at particular seasons that are affected by the insect. 

 — I am, my dear Sir, very sincerely yours, W. C. Williamson." 

 [Finther particulars are desired : will some one of my cor- 

 respondents endeavour to ascertain the mode in which the 

 attack is made ? and I shall be very happy to give the subject 

 every possible attention : it is exactly one of the subjects for 

 the discui-sion of which the 'Entomologist' is instituted. — 

 E. Newman J] 



Laburnum Caterpillars. — On the 1st of September, a 

 warm sunny day, 1 observed swarms of small white larvae 

 hanging suspended by webs from the leaves and branches of 



