68 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the text-books to which I have access, but is well kuown to a good 

 many collectors and is not of very rare occurrence. I bred about 

 half-a-dozen specimens from a single batch of larvsB found here last 

 season. — (Rev.) Gilbert H. Raynor ; Hazeleigh Rectory, Maldon, 

 Feb. 20th, 1903. 



Kestrel Destroying Butterflies. — I have been asked by my 

 friend Mr. Bankes, of Corfe Castle, to send you a note of a habit of 

 the kestrel which has on several occasions fallen under my notice. 

 On the 13th July, 1901, I was in company with my brother, Mr. E. 

 Harker Curtis, on the top of Ballard Down, Swanage, catching butter- 

 flies. The species noticed were mostly Melnnargia galatea, Argynnis 

 aglaia, Hipparchia semele, H. tithonus, and H. janira. Whilst thus 

 engaged, a kestrel (Falco tinnuncxdm) was observed hawking about and 

 hovering over the long grass, every once now and then dropping like a 

 stone to the ground, remaining a second or two and then rising again. 

 These movements attracted my attention, so my brother and I lay 

 down in the grass to watch the bird. After some time I remarked to 

 my brother that the bird did not seem to get much, as it never rose 

 with a mouse or a lizard, and it certainly did not remain on the ground 

 long enough to eat either. Presently the bird dropped close to a furze 

 bush, and I crept up to the bush and looked over the top. Tbe kestrel 

 jumped and flew oft", leaving a half-eaten Anjgmiis aglaia on the ground. 

 Then I followed the bird and examined the places where it went down, 

 and found almost every time either the mutilated remains of a M. galatea 

 or of an A. aglaia. It seemed to have least difficulty in catching 

 galatea, as, finding what it was doing, I watched it very closely and 

 saw it miss several of the wily aglaia. The bird waited until the 

 insect pitched, and then pounced down on it, and, having regard to 

 the fact that the females were busy depositing ova, the percentage 

 of the females killed must have been very large. I found by counting 

 that the bird caught about thirty- six specimens in an hour, and it was 

 hard at it for at least five hours, that is to say, the whole time I was 

 present ; and when I left, the bird was still hawking about. I have 

 seen a kestrel at the same place on many occasions since, and similarly 

 occupied. The bird certainly did not seem to bother itself about me, 

 as I could have captured it in my net had I been so disposed, since it 

 allowed me to approach within a couple of yards or so. Mr. Henry 

 Seebohm, in his ' History of British Birds ' (vol. i. p. 48), mentions 

 frogs, moles, mice, caterpillars, lizards, earthworms, cockchafers, 

 grasshoppers, and locusts as its usual foods. Mr. R. Bowdler Sharps 

 also makes statements to the same effect. — W. Parkinson Curtis. 



Urticating Effects of Larv^ Hairs. — The irritating properties 

 contained in the hairy coats of most of the Bombyces are well known 

 and sometimes painfully remembered by a good many collectors, 

 possessed, like myself, with a susceptible cuticle. The cocoons have 

 for me a particularly uncomfortable manner with them, but not until 

 this past season did I detect a fairly clearly defined difference in the 

 effect produced by different species. It was while examining some 

 cocoons of Purthesia auriflua that I inadvertently rubbed my forearm 

 with the fabric ; almost immediately the crimson inflammation 

 appeared, together with excessive itching, and continued for some 



