42 THE ENTOMOLOGIST . 



larvfe had nothing whatever to do with causing them,, nor indeed 

 were they of any consequence to the larvse, but there is a 

 possibility that the fact of the twigs having been previously 

 tenanted by other larvse may have been an inducement to the 

 ahietella to select them. Further, it is significant that in a much 

 larger number of pine-shoots infested by R. resinella received 

 from the same locality in the autumn of the previous year no 

 ahietella larvse were found. Both these observations appear to 

 suggest that the ahietella larvae take to these old workings only 

 after hibernation, and may to some extent help to reconcile 

 the many conflicting accounts of their habits. There is no 

 doubt that much confusion has existed between thel, larva of 

 this species and that of D. sj>lendidella, both in regard to the 

 descriptions of the larvfe and their habits ; Barrett (' Lepidoptera 

 of the British Islands,' ix, pp. 413-417) has done much towards 

 clearing this up, but there are many points in regard to the 

 economy of each that still need working out. 



Eastbourne, 



January, 1919. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Notes on a Modification of Limenitis sibylla, ab. nigrina, 

 ETC. — I took a specimen of L. sibylla approaching ab, nigrina in the 

 Forest on July 13th, 1918, and from the footnote to Mr. Pilleau's 

 article (' Entomologist,' li, p. 270) I imagine it to be similar to the 

 specimens there referred to. On the upper side the white markings, 

 though not entirely absent, are very faint and suffused, more 

 especially on the lower wings. The under-side does not altogether 

 coincide with ab. nigrina as figured in^ South's], ' Butterflies of the 

 British Isles.' At the same time it is not in the least typical, and 

 the general characteristics are more like those of nigrina. The trace 

 of white on the margins is present, as it is in both nigrina and the 

 type. I found Zygcmia meliloti swarming in its old haunt, but was 

 not fortunate enough to obtain any varieties of Dryas paj^hia or 

 Argynnis cydvpiJe, though I visited the forest on three occasions. In 

 the neighbourhood of Poole I took three specimens of Dasychira 

 fascelina resting on heather. — Arthur Bliss (Lieut.) ; 5, Beechcroft 

 Mansions, Streatham, S.W. 16. 



Plusia moneta. — Mr. Thurnall (' Entomologist,' li, p. 214) may 

 be interested to know of the following records for this species : 

 Woodford ('Entomologist,' xxviii, p. 310), 1893; Buckhurst Hill 

 (' Essex Naturalist,' xiv, p. 136), 1905 ; and I have taken or seen it 

 in one or more stages in my garden here on monkshood and larkspur 

 every year since 1905. In 1918 I may say I found the species 

 unusually common, and took over two dozen cocoons, besides about a 

 dozen larvae, from three or four plants of delphinium and one of 

 aconitum. I also found two cocoons which had been opened by 



