es ay 
NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 239 
the general non est, was Acrea andromache, this species being 
more numerous than ever, and forming a pleasing contrast to 
the otherwise quiet monotony. In April, 1882, larve of various 
kinds were swarming on the bushes. I took, amongst others, 
some four dozen of a very handsome caterpillar, nearly full-fed. 
These changed under ground, and from them I obtained only one 
imago, which proved to be a new small Sphinx. I examined 
them again late in the season, and found that, although most of 
the pupz were dead, several were still alive and healthy. The 
reason why the pup remained so long in that state it is difficult to 
say, unless it was caused by the irregularity of the season. Very 
few were ichneumoned, although in the fall of the season, 1882, I 
noticed that specimens of the Ichneumonide were particularly 
numerous; but that would be hardly sufficient to account for the 
utter dearth of Lepidoptera that has prevailed for the last six 
months.— GroRGE BaRNaRD ; Coomooboolaroo, Duaringa, Rock- 
hampton, Queensland, June 1, 1883. 
NatruraL Sucaring.—Mr. C. V. Riley, in the ‘ American 
Naturalist,’ says :—‘‘ Lepidopterists have long found sugaring— 
i. ¢., the besmearing of the tree trunks with various, more or less 
intoxicating, sweets—one of the best means of obtaining night- 
flying moths, but we do not recollect of seeing any record of what 
may be called natural sugaring. The year 1882 has been remark- 
able for the excessive abundance of a yet undescribed species of 
Lachnus, which we have called Lachnus platanicola, infesting the 
sycamore. We have received accounts of its excessive abundance 
from widely different sections of the country, as far north as 
Michigan, and as far south-west as Missouri; while on trees 
in the grounds of the Department of Agriculture, it has prevailed 
to such an extent that whole trees, including leaves, branches, 
and trunks, were heavily blackened by the growth of the fungus 
(Fumago salicina), which developed on the saccharine exudations 
from the Lachnus. Hosts of sweet-loving insects, including all 
sorts of Hymenoptera during the day and chiefly Lepidoptera at 
night, were attracted to the trees, which even excelled those 
artificially sugared as collecting-ground for various Noctuids. 
The brilliant and glistening eyes of these moths, thickly settled 
upon all parts of the trees, gave these at night the appearance of 
being studded with gems, and produced an effect rarely witnessed, 
we imagine, by entomologists.” 
