THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 275 
profuse occurrence on the eastern coast in 1868, coupled 
with its abundance in Guernsey during the present year, 
seems to favour my theory that our rarer Lepidoptera are 
frequently “ blown over” from the Continent. The speed at 
which a Sphinx can travel, even when unaided by the wind, 
is truly marvellous, and when assisted by a favourable breeze 
it may perhaps be greater still. I see my friend Mr. Biggs 
combats this idea—Edward Newman. 
Sphina Convolvuli.—This insect must have occurred very 
abundantly this season, as since my last communication [ 
have obtained seventeen more, nearly all in good condition; 
and, including those taken by others, upwards of sixty have 
been taken in the same locality, all flying over the blossoms 
of marvel of Peru, which seems specially attractive to them. 
How to account for their occurrence in such numbers is a 
puzzle; but I think the greatest evidence against the migra- 
tory theory is that some of the specimens caught last were in 
the finest condition, which would seem to indicate a succes- 
sion of freshly-developed insects. As far as I have observed 
the insect is rather shy in its habits and easily startled, as I 
noticed that when struck at and missed they went right away, 
and seldom or never returned to the same spot to feed. They 
did not seem to have much partiality for light, as when the 
glare of a lantern was turned on them they invariably receded 
from it; but I have seen them flying in the most brilliant 
moonshine, when you required no lamp to distinguish them. 
The majority of the specimens taken were females, and 
several of those I examined contained no eggs. The last 
specimens I know of were captured on the Ist of October. I 
visited the spot several favourable evenings after this, but saw 
no more of them.—C. J. Biggs; South Hackney, Oct. 19, 1875, 
[The absence of eggs in the ovaries of many of the females 
of the larger Sphingide has been fully noticed by Mr. 
Doubleday in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. p. 1862), by myself in the 
‘Entomologist’ (Entom. ii. 263), and by Mr. Biggs in the 
above communication. In such cases the abdomen is per- 
fectly empty, a mere hollow cylinder; and the same 
phenomenon has been observed in some of the Noctuide. 
This absolute sterility among the females of Sphinx Convol- 
vuli amounts to a very large percentage: seven out of eight 
having been found in this condition. The proportion of sterile 
o 
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