3 =. iment should write to Messrs.. Watson for a descriptive and 
illustrated circular which they issue——W. G. Sneppon. 
Rearine THE Larye or Meniraa cryx1a.—In reading “ Notes 
on Lepidoptera at Alton,” contributed by Mr. E. A. C. Stowell and 
published in the ‘Entomologist: ’ for May, I was struck by his 
observation that he found cinwia larve very hard to rear, and only 
bred eight imagines from about thirty-six larve. Is the successful 
rearing of this species dependent upon climatic conditions? That 
kind friend and enthusiast, the late General Grant, when residing in 
the Isle of Wight, sent me batches of larvae on several different 
occasions, and I never had the slightest trouble in rearing them in 
Devon. Though I did not actually count the larve received, some 
of which were often quite small, so far as I am aware none of them 
died. My method of treatment was simple. JI got an ordinary 
hat-box ; I took the top out of the lid and put-in its place a piece of 
net to allow the free admission of air andsun. The box was placed 
in front of a south window, or in an unheated greenhouse, with all 
doors and windows open, and tilted forward so as to get all the 
sunshine possible. To feed the larvee I placed a layer of quite small 
plants of the narrow-leaved plantain at the bottom of the box. I 
obtained these from a weedy lawn by cutting them off with an old 
knife about an inch below the surface of the ground. I never used 
the large, rank plants that are to be found in meadows and by the 
roadside. Early every morning I placed a fresh supply of these little 
plantains on the top of the food already there, much of which was, 
of course, withered up. I removed from time to time dead bits and 
débris, but never turned the box out, and took great care not to 
disturb any larvze that might be changing. The food, given fresh 
daily, was generally damp with dew. Treated thus, my cinxia larvee 
appeared to thrive admirably, They duly pupated, but the boxes 
‘were not moved until the imagines emerged. Of the large number bred 
I have only had one really nice variety. The required treatment 
seems so simple that I am forced to the conclusion that climatic 
_ conditions are the essential factor in rearing the larve of M. cinxia. 
—C. M. Mayor; Bank House, Dawlish, 8. Devon. 
THe ADAPTATION OF CATERPILLARS TO THEIR SURROUNDINGS.— 
Last season a wild B. gemmaria female in my possession laid a batch 
of ova which hatched in due course. I placed the young caterpillars 
in metal and cardboard glass-topped boxes. When the time came to 
transfer them to a breeding-cage-I was surprised to find that in each 
case the caterpillars had as nearly as possible assumed the coloration 
of their surroundings—that is to say, that those in the cardboard 
_ box (which of course had white sides) were of a very light brown 
colour, those in the metal boxes very much darker, while ‘those that 
had been in a metal box the sides of which were considerably 
discoloured were almost black. When hatched the whole brood 
were of the usual reddish-brown colour of this species, and all have 
been fed throughout on privet. It would be interesting to know 
what effect, if any, this question of larval environment has on the 
perfect insect.—N. O. R. Serseant; Hardiston, Barnet Wood Lane, 
Ashtead, Surrey. 
ENTOM.—SEPTEMBER, 1921. T 
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