﻿98 
  

  

  insect 
  as 
  Smerinthus 
  Tiliae, 
  which 
  from 
  this 
  cause 
  had 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  escape. 
  It 
  was 
  

   perfectly 
  formed 
  ; 
  but 
  was 
  so 
  firmly 
  imbedded 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  emerge, 
  and 
  miserably 
  

   perished 
  ! 
  This 
  I 
  imagine 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  the 
  periodic 
  uncertainty 
  in 
  the 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  many 
  insects. 
  I 
  feel 
  no 
  doubt, 
  that, 
  when 
  hard 
  frosts 
  succeed 
  pro- 
  

   tracted 
  rains, 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  subterranean 
  pupse 
  are 
  thus 
  destroyed. 
  

  

  " 
  You 
  observed 
  that 
  Ireland 
  had 
  been 
  much 
  neglected 
  by 
  entomologists. 
  I 
  am 
  

   quite 
  of 
  your 
  opinion. 
  I 
  am 
  sui'e 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  valuable 
  insects 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  there. 
  

   In 
  proof 
  of 
  which, 
  I 
  may 
  mention 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Ball 
  himself 
  took 
  five 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   Deilephila 
  Euphorbise, 
  somewhere 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  coast. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  at 
  this 
  moment 
  re- 
  

   member 
  the 
  exact 
  locality, 
  but 
  could 
  easily 
  find 
  out. 
  I 
  saw 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  ; 
  

   the 
  others 
  perished 
  though 
  neglect. 
  I 
  have 
  in 
  my 
  own 
  collection, 
  two 
  Euphorbise 
  and 
  

   one 
  Galii, 
  taken 
  in 
  Ireland 
  ; 
  and, 
  as 
  I 
  mentioned 
  to 
  you, 
  I 
  am 
  certain 
  I 
  saw 
  Catocala 
  

   Fraxini." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Waterhouse 
  observed, 
  that 
  the 
  Rev. 
  F. 
  W. 
  Hope 
  used 
  to 
  rear 
  great 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  Lepidoptera, 
  and 
  he 
  always 
  kept 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  his 
  cages 
  covered 
  with 
  damp 
  moss. 
  

  

  Read 
  also, 
  the 
  following 
  note 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  J. 
  Greene, 
  on 
  a 
  curious 
  circumstance 
  

   observed 
  in 
  hybernating 
  specimens 
  of 
  Vanessa 
  lo. 
  

  

  " 
  About 
  ten 
  days 
  since 
  (December 
  8), 
  being 
  engaged 
  in 
  digging 
  for 
  pupse, 
  in 
  a 
  

   wood 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  my 
  residence, 
  I 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  moderate-sized 
  beech-tree, 
  whose 
  

   roots 
  formed 
  an 
  arch, 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  height. 
  As 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  inserting 
  

   my 
  trowel 
  into 
  the 
  cavity, 
  I 
  heard 
  a 
  faint 
  hissing 
  noise 
  : 
  thinking 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  an 
  

   adder, 
  I 
  started 
  back. 
  Upon 
  a 
  closer 
  inspection, 
  however, 
  I 
  discovered, 
  to 
  my 
  great 
  

   surprise, 
  three 
  hybernating 
  Vanessa 
  lo 
  (the 
  peacock). 
  Two 
  were 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  con- 
  

   cave 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  arch, 
  the 
  third 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  the 
  noise 
  I 
  heard 
  proceeded 
  

   from 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  noise 
  exactly, 
  but 
  the 
  nearest 
  approximation 
  to 
  

   it, 
  is 
  the 
  sound 
  produced 
  by 
  blowing 
  slowly, 
  and 
  with 
  moderate 
  force, 
  through 
  the 
  

   closed 
  teeth. 
  It 
  was 
  decidedly 
  not 
  a 
  rustling 
  sound, 
  such 
  as 
  would 
  proceed 
  from 
  an 
  

   imprisoned 
  insect. 
  While 
  making 
  the 
  noise, 
  the 
  wings 
  were 
  slowly 
  depressed 
  and 
  

   elevated. 
  To 
  remove 
  any 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  sound 
  was 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  insect, 
  

   I 
  pushed 
  off 
  one 
  that 
  was 
  adhering 
  to 
  the 
  tree, 
  which 
  immediately 
  commenced 
  the 
  

   same 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  wings, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  similar 
  noise. 
  That 
  the 
  noise 
  was 
  

   produced 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  is 
  very 
  likely; 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  wholly 
  

   so, 
  is, 
  I 
  tliink, 
  improbable, 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  extreme 
  slowness 
  (I 
  might 
  say, 
  deli- 
  

   beration) 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  wings 
  were 
  opened 
  and 
  shut. 
  Strange 
  as 
  it 
  may 
  appear, 
  it 
  

   certainly 
  struck 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  noise 
  was 
  intended 
  to 
  intimidate! 
  Whenever 
  I 
  pointed 
  

   the 
  trowel 
  at 
  it, 
  it 
  forthwith 
  turned 
  towards 
  it, 
  and 
  commenced 
  the 
  noise 
  with 
  renewed 
  

   vigour. 
  I 
  saw 
  no 
  more, 
  neither 
  do 
  I 
  remember 
  to 
  have 
  ever 
  met 
  with 
  hybernating 
  

   Diurnes 
  before. 
  

  

  " 
  As 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  the 
  tree 
  again, 
  I 
  shall 
  re-examine 
  it, 
  though 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  

   aware 
  that 
  I 
  can 
  add 
  anything 
  to 
  the 
  above. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  may 
  add, 
  that 
  a 
  more 
  unlikely 
  place 
  for 
  hybernation 
  could 
  scarcely 
  be 
  found. 
  

   The 
  tree 
  was 
  on 
  a 
  high 
  bank, 
  facing 
  the 
  north, 
  and 
  the 
  opening 
  was 
  quite 
  exposed 
  to 
  

   rain, 
  snow, 
  &c." 
  

  

  