﻿107 
  

  

  insect 
  was 
  a 
  suicide 
  : 
  a 
  male 
  Triphsena 
  comes, 
  TV., 
  in 
  the 
  finest 
  condition, 
  had 
  a 
  point 
  

   of 
  the 
  rush, 
  Juncus 
  acutus, 
  in 
  its 
  breast, 
  and 
  was 
  dead 
  when 
  T 
  found 
  it. 
  I 
  still 
  keep 
  

   the 
  thorax 
  in 
  my 
  collection 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  uninjured, 
  which 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  if 
  a 
  

   bird 
  had 
  captured 
  and 
  impaled 
  the 
  moth. 
  Besides, 
  the 
  locality, 
  in 
  the 
  environs 
  of 
  

   Catania, 
  is 
  such 
  as 
  no 
  Lanius 
  would 
  inhabit, 
  being 
  a 
  small 
  meadow, 
  wet 
  in 
  winter, 
  

   surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  large 
  lava-desert, 
  without 
  tree 
  or 
  shrub. 
  Juncus 
  acutus 
  is 
  the 
  haunt 
  

   of 
  an 
  OEdipoda 
  which 
  I 
  think 
  new, 
  (^(Ed. 
  Junci, 
  milii, 
  in 
  lilt.); 
  and 
  I 
  sometimes 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  this 
  insect, 
  after 
  a 
  short 
  flight, 
  fall 
  down 
  and 
  impale 
  its 
  wings 
  on 
  the 
  pin-like 
  

   points 
  of 
  the 
  rush, 
  and 
  get 
  them 
  loose 
  only 
  after 
  many 
  efl'orts. 
  That 
  insects 
  would 
  be 
  

   easily 
  impaled 
  here 
  I 
  was 
  sure 
  from 
  my 
  own 
  experience, 
  as 
  when 
  stooping 
  qiiickly 
  

   for 
  any 
  capture, 
  I 
  often 
  found 
  myself 
  on 
  these 
  unhappy 
  points 
  almost 
  in 
  a 
  Turkish 
  

   fashion. 
  The 
  moth 
  here 
  spoken 
  of 
  is 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Isis,' 
  1847, 
  p. 
  442. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  other 
  instance 
  is 
  of 
  an 
  earlier 
  date, 
  and 
  happened 
  to 
  a 
  Triphsena 
  fimbria, 
  

   Tr., 
  $ 
  . 
  This 
  insect 
  was 
  impaled 
  on 
  a 
  sloe-thorn, 
  and 
  was 
  still 
  living 
  when 
  I 
  found 
  

   it. 
  It 
  had 
  its 
  hack 
  downwards, 
  the 
  wings 
  on 
  its 
  right 
  side 
  half 
  bitten 
  off, 
  and 
  its 
  tho- 
  

   rax 
  much 
  injured. 
  In 
  the 
  alder-brake 
  where 
  this 
  happened, 
  there 
  were 
  some 
  Lanii 
  

   (shrikes), 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  now 
  remember.'' 
  

  

  " 
  Larva 
  of 
  Polyommatus 
  Artaxerxes. 
  — 
  From 
  the 
  affinity 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  with 
  Poly- 
  

   ommatus 
  Agestis, 
  I 
  infer 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  its 
  larva 
  feeding 
  on 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Geranium 
  

   or 
  Erodiiim 
  ; 
  for 
  on 
  Erodium 
  cicutarium 
  I 
  have 
  detected 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  Agestis. 
  If 
  it 
  

   be 
  deemed 
  probable 
  that 
  any 
  species 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  afi"orcls 
  food 
  to 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  Arta- 
  

   xerxes, 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  them 
  should 
  be 
  gathered 
  at 
  the 
  proper 
  season 
  in 
  the 
  locality 
  

   inhabited 
  by 
  the 
  butterfly, 
  by 
  cautiously 
  cutting 
  them 
  off" 
  above 
  the 
  roots, 
  and 
  they 
  

   should 
  then 
  be 
  torn 
  and 
  shaken 
  over 
  white 
  paper 
  or 
  a 
  table-cloth. 
  But 
  an 
  undoubt- 
  

   edly 
  better 
  method 
  of 
  obtaining 
  the 
  larvae 
  is 
  the 
  following. 
  Most 
  butterflies 
  are 
  very 
  

   easily 
  observed 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs, 
  and 
  the 
  Polyommati 
  are 
  particularly 
  favourable 
  for 
  

   such 
  investigations. 
  Therefore, 
  when 
  the 
  females 
  of 
  Artaxerxes 
  have 
  been 
  out 
  some 
  

   time, 
  and 
  begin 
  to 
  be 
  wasted, 
  patiently 
  follow 
  one 
  on 
  a 
  fine 
  morning 
  without 
  troubling 
  

   it, 
  and 
  observe 
  on 
  what 
  plant 
  it 
  settles 
  ; 
  after 
  some 
  preliminary 
  attempts 
  it 
  will 
  proba- 
  

   bly 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  bend 
  its 
  body 
  under 
  a 
  leaf, 
  which 
  proceeding 
  is 
  a 
  certain 
  sign 
  of 
  its 
  

   laying 
  an 
  egg 
  ; 
  this 
  may 
  soon 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  its 
  white 
  colour. 
  The 
  female 
  will 
  

   continue 
  to 
  lay 
  eggs 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  without 
  resting 
  to 
  feed, 
  and 
  thus 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  period 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  may 
  be 
  collected. 
  To 
  prevent 
  their 
  drying 
  up, 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  fixed 
  

   upon 
  leaves 
  of 
  a 
  living 
  plant 
  set 
  in 
  a 
  flower-pot, 
  and 
  thus 
  every 
  opportunity 
  may 
  be 
  

   had 
  for 
  leisurely 
  observing 
  the 
  larva 
  during 
  its 
  changes. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  I 
  procured 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  and 
  reared 
  to 
  perfection 
  Argynnis 
  Dia, 
  Colias 
  Hyale, 
  Polyommatus 
  Corydon, 
  

   Alexis, 
  Amyntas, 
  Hylas, 
  Arion 
  (boih 
  the 
  latter 
  on 
  Thymus 
  Serpylluni), 
  Argiolus, 
  Acis 
  

   (on 
  the 
  capitula 
  of 
  Armeria 
  vulgaris), 
  Phloeas, 
  Circe, 
  Hippothoe, 
  Chryseis, 
  he, 
  Leu- 
  

   cophasia 
  Sinapis 
  (on 
  Trifolium 
  arvense 
  and 
  Coronilla 
  varia), 
  Papilio 
  Machaon, 
  Poda- 
  

   lirius, 
  Hesperia 
  Actaeon 
  (on 
  Stipa 
  capillata), 
  alveolus 
  (on 
  Potentilla 
  alba, 
  but 
  T 
  often 
  

   find 
  the 
  larva 
  on 
  Potentilla 
  anserina 
  aiuong 
  alder-bushes), 
  Emmelesia 
  albulata 
  (on 
  

   Alectorolophus 
  minor), 
  and 
  many 
  others." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  F. 
  Smith 
  read 
  a 
  monograph 
  of 
  the 
  Hymenopterous 
  genus 
  Cryptocerus, 
  in- 
  

   cluding 
  descriptions 
  of 
  14 
  new 
  species, 
  and 
  illustrated 
  by 
  outline 
  figiues 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   species 
  known. 
  Three 
  new 
  genera 
  are 
  established, 
  — 
  Meranoplus 
  for 
  two 
  species 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  body 
  pedunculated 
  and 
  rounded 
  in 
  the 
  female, 
  Cataulacus 
  for 
  four 
  species 
  of 
  

  

  