THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 171 



by Iwo smaller falls. I need hardly say that our departure 

 from the spot was greatly accelerated by the occurrence. 

 Before leaving the Warren I secured a quantity of the larvae 

 of L. Chrysorrhoea: they are not so plentiful as in the last 

 three years. — J. Russell ; 18, Mount Pleasant Road. 



Variety of Limenilis Sibylla. — While collecting this 

 species at Doles Wood, in company with my friend Mr. W. 

 H. Herbert, on Wednesday, July 10th, I saw a very uuusual 

 variety. The whole of the upper surface of the wings was 

 black, with the exception of two minute white dots, one on 

 each fore wing near the costa ; the under side of all the 

 wings appeared to be normally marked. The insect persisted 

 in pitching on some blackberry blooms, where it was just 

 impossible to take it with the net: three times I struck at it, 

 and twice had it in the net, but the net was so entangled each 

 time that the butterfly readily escaped. Mr. Herbert was 

 equally unsuccessful, although both of us could have caught 

 it in our hands, but that would have spoiled it for any 

 collection. One beautiful female of A. Iris condescended to 

 alight on a bunch of blackberry blooms not five yards from 

 Dr. Stevens, Mr. Herbert, and myself; but the instant I 

 moved in that direction she re-ascended to her lofty throne, 

 and we had, very reluctantly, to leave both it and Sibylla, in 

 order to reach our friend's house in time for dinner. — Henry 

 Reeks; East Woodhay, July 15, 1872. 



Scarcity of Insects generally ; abundance of Hybernaied 

 Specimens of Pyrameis Cardui. — As early as last February 

 I predicted that it would be a bad Entomological summer, 

 for 1 have for many years noted that mild wet winters prove far 

 more destructive to insect-life than dry ones with any amount 

 of severe frosts. When collecting Sibylla on the 10th inst., 

 I was struck with not only the scarcity of that species, but 

 also of all the Argynnidae, — Paphia, Adippe, Selene, &c. ; in 

 fact the rides in Doles Wood (1500 acres in extent) seemed 

 quite devoid of insect life. Caterpillars have also been most 

 scarce ; but I never remember breeding so few Ichneumonidge ; 

 almost every larva obtained in the spring produced an imago 

 of that tribe, although a very great, proportion of the larvae 

 were infested with tape-worms : larvae not more than half an 

 inch long would pass thread-like tape-worms six inches in 

 length ! 1 feel convinced that these are taken into the larval 



