90 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



found it to be in almost perfect condition. With regard to the 

 gregarious habits of .-1. urticce in hibernation, and its fondness for 

 forming "roosts," my attention was first drawn to this pecuharity in 

 the middle of February last year. Going into the chapel of one of 

 the Oxford colleges I found the floor covered with semi-torpid speci- 

 mens of A. urtica. I counted between thirty and forty, which had 

 evidently been awakened by the unusual warmth of the day, and 

 become chilled on fluttering down on to the cold marble of the floor. 

 These insects were all in tine condition. After reading Mr. Rowland- 

 Brown's note in the last number of this magazine I searched my own 

 house and found a " roost " of six individuals on a shadowed part of 

 one of the ceilings. The change in the weather has already caused 

 this number to dwindle to two. Two points suggest themselves. 

 The first is, how the insects are attracted to -such places in such 

 numbers. The college chapel which I mentioned is not one 

 which is open to the public for a stated number of hours daily : 

 it is kept closed except during the short periods when it is in 

 use each day. The ceiling is plastered ; there is no apparent means 

 of access except by one or two small ventilator windows. Yet the 

 insects were there in considerable numbers. If I had had the time 

 to institute a thorough search I could have found more than I did. 

 Again, the room in my house has the usual plastered ceiling and a 

 large window, which does not, however, open ; it is used as a linen 

 room. The only means of access would appear to l)e by the door, 

 which is only opened quite occasionally, yet A. nrticce decided to form 

 a " roost" there. Secondly, does the female A. nrticce hibernate im- 

 mediately upon impregnation, and is the longer part of her active 

 life spent in the ensuing spring, and not in the very few days, or even 

 hours, which may ensue between emergence and impregnation in the 

 summer? The perfect condition in which the hibernated specimens 

 are so often found suggests this possibility to me. — Harold D. Ford 

 (Rev.) ; Thursby Vicarage, Carlisle. 



Pararqe mcera in Surrey. — When collecting near Horsley, in 

 July, 1908, I captured a female example of P. mosra. It was flying 

 in company with P. megcera. — W^ S. Buckhurst, Lt. R.G.A. ; 9, 

 Souldern Road, London, W. 4. 



Retarded Emergence of Eustroma (Cidaria) silaceata. — Under 

 this heading I recorded in the December number of the ' Entomolo- 

 gist ' the breeding of a specimen of the above on October 22nd and 

 another on November 3rd last. I have now to record the emergence 

 of a third specihien on February 27th. All these belonged to a brood 

 the greater part of which hatched out in July, 1918. The pupa^ were 

 kept in my dressing-room.— J. E. Tarbat (Rev.) ; Fareham, Hants. 



Asthenia fimbriana in Essex. — I think this Tortrix might be 

 found in any oak wood throughout the London district, but the 

 difficulty is to obtain it in any numbers. I was woi-king for it a very 

 long time before I obtained a series of some seventeen or eighteen 

 specimens. Upon looking over iBy notes I find that betw^een the. 



