THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 59 
dull whitish blotch, containing a very indistinct small brown 
mark. 
Vanessa Urtice and Polychloros were similarly treated : 
the latter produced no peculiar-looking specimens, excepting 
that the ground colour was darker than in ordinary bred spe- 
cimens. The Urtice in spite of their starving came out nearly 
the natural size. Many have a thick black nervure in the 
centre of the wing; alsoa brownish patch between the middle 
costal spot and that in the inner margin, and the dark 
margin round the wings zs wider than usual. 
The effects of starving these three species would therefore 
appear to be similar, as far as the causing of dark spots, 
patches, &c., goes. Being very interested in the subject, L 
should be glad to hear from other collectors if they have 
often noticed the same features when breeding the Vanesse. 
H. Ramsay Cox. 
Thornleigh, Forest Hill, 
January 24, 1876. 
Collected Observations on British Savw/flies. 
By Epwarp NEWMAN. 
BEFORE attempting to catalogue the reputed British species 
of sawfly, | crave permission to give my own view of what a 
sawfly is, and also to indicate what I suppose its position in 
the system of Nature. In doing this I propose to incorporate, 
recapitulate, and amalgamate, certain opinions I expressed in 
the year 1832, and during the ten or twelve years imme- 
diately following. 
I am led to this course by reading, after a lapse of thirty 
years, the following passage in a letter addressed to me by 
the late Dr. Harris, of Harvard University :— 
“In a private course of lectures on Entomology, given 
to some of the students of the University four years ago, I 
endeavoured to explain your system, and made diagrams 
for the purpose, some of which still remained hanging in 
the room when our excellent friend Mr. Doubleday saw 
my collection of insects. I have often wished you would 
combine in one work all that you have published on the 
classification of insects, and the characteristics of the 
groups, .... You have often very happily illustrated what 
