280 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



quite cold again, and Noctuae were again as scarce as they had 

 been in the early part of the summer. Thus during the month 

 of August Noctuae were at least as common as in ordinary 

 seasons ; while in the other months of the year, with about three 

 exceptions, there was scarcely one to be seen. I should be glad 

 to know whether any explanation can be given as to the cause of 

 this peculiarity ; and may mention in conclusion that other Lepi- 

 doptera did not share in the irregularity of the Noctuae, but 

 were uniformly scarce throughout the season. — P. Watchurst ; 

 11, Hope Park, Bromley, Kent, October, 1884. 



Effect of the Hot Summer on Lepidoptera. — During the 

 past season many larvae have fed up in a very short time ; eggs of 

 Ephyra pendularia and E. porata laid between July 31st and 

 August 2nd began hatching on August 6th ; the E. pendularia 

 fed up the quickest. The first larva to turn to a pupa was on 

 August 18th (only twelve days from the time the larvae hatched), 

 followed next day by several more, and the last turned on 

 August 31st. Out of twenty-eight eggs, twenty-six went to 

 pupse. As they fed up and turned to chrysalids in so short a 

 time, I naturally expected a third brood, but none have emerged. 

 E. porata did not grow quite so rapidly ; the first turned to a 

 pupae on August 26th, and the last on September 20th. A female 

 Acidalia aversata of the ordinary type laid a good batch of eggs 

 on July 9th, which hatched on July 26th ; these fed well on knot- 

 grass, principally by night. During the daytime they scarcely 

 moved. They grew fast and went to pupae from August 15th to 

 September 7th, and the imagos appeared from August 26th to 

 October 2nd, altogether about one hundred, and the banded 

 variety appeared to be about one in four. The banded form have 

 produced some very dark and freshly -marked specimens. I have 

 had to feed up this insect in previous years, but they always 

 hybernated and died in the winter ; and as I kept them in the 

 same place this year as previously, the extreme heat must have 

 been the cause of their feeding up so rapidly ; yet it does not 

 seem to have had any influence on some species. A female 

 Numeria pidveraria taken at Loughton on May 24th, deposited 

 eggs the same night, which hatched the beginning of June. 

 They grew very slowly from the commencement. The first did 

 not spin up until the middle of August, and some were feeding 



