NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 187 



Cantener called the attention of local collectors to this distinct 

 species, and requested them to communicate captures if made within 

 the limits of " nos contrees," to which, he presumes, it is not foreign, 

 though he cites no instance of observation. We shall be interested 

 to hear later from M. Dupont whether A. ther sites in his northerly 

 locality is single-brooded, as Mr. Ball reported the species to be in 

 Belgium. In the south there are two, and possibly three, emer- 

 gences. In the Mediterranean Departments Polyomviatus icarus has 

 three ; I suspect even four, as I have taken it in perfect condition 

 in the first days of April at Hyeres ; in June, in August, and in 

 October, as late as the 18th, quite fresh at Digne ; and Beaulieu, 

 Alpes-Maritimes. Incidentally I may remark that despite war 

 conditions there appears to be no difficulty in the way of trans- 

 mitting insect specimens by post. M. Dupont's package was but 

 three days in transit, and arrived without damage to contents, and 

 preceded the accompanying postcard by twenty-four hours. — H. 

 Eowland-Brown ; Harrow Weald, July 11th, 1917. 



Plusia moneta in Games. — The larvae of Plusia moneta were 

 unusually abundant on delphinium at Great Shelford and this 

 district (Cambridge) generally in the spring, and I have bred a 

 beautiful series of the moth. Possibly the severe winter we had 

 was actually beneficial to this pretty species, as on the Continent, 

 where frost and snow are the rule during the winter months, lepi- 

 doptera are much more abundant than they are with us. It is, no 

 doubt, the continual cold rains of our average winters and early 

 springs that do the damage, as hibernating ova, larvae, and pupae 

 seem to be able to stand any amount of frost. This season, by the 

 way, should prove to be the best we have had for a long time. 

 Although I have only been able to put in three days' serious collect- 

 ing (June 22nd-25th), I have seldom seen so many moths at sugar 

 and valerian, whilst every bush had its ova and larvae. — Hugh P. 

 Jones ; 19, Tenison Avenue, Cambridge. 



Food Plants op Dilina tili^. — In the ' Entomologist ' for 

 July the cork-tree {Qiiercus suher) is quoted as an unusual food-plant 

 of D. tili(2. Strange to say (in view of the moth's name), I have 

 never found this species on lime. I have several times taken the 

 pupae at the roots of alder, and once from the common oak {Quercus 

 robicr), but these are the only trees, apart from the two' elms, from 

 which I have bred it, although I have collected some hundreds. If 

 it ever did feed on lime in this district, I am not surprised at it 

 turning to the elm, as the leaves of the former tree are always absolutely 

 filthy with " honey dew." It is not unusual, by the way, to find 

 " Hawk moth " larvae reverting to strange food-plants. S. Ugustri, for 

 instance, is far commoner on holly (the young shoots) at Shelford 

 than on privet.— Hugh P. Jones ; 19, Tenison Avenue, Cambridge. 



Sesia formic^formis Larva Feeding in the Pith of Osier 

 Stems. — I have been in the habit of rearing SpJmcia crahronifonnis 

 from osier sticks cut in the spring. The sticks are placed in an 

 inverted position in wet sand with the hole uppermost, and the 

 larvge almost invariably pupate at the upper end and emerge through 



