NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 87 



ments in the male, and one in which the male has four filaments. 

 If it is worth while to recognise Oiidahlis as distinct from Dacty- 

 lopius, the parallel forms in Phenacoccus should similarly be 

 separated, and it is here proposed to call them Paroudahlis. 

 Typical Phenacoccus will include such species as P. aceris, and 

 even, so far as the filaments of the male go, the otherwise 

 peenlin.! P. yucccB. Paroudahlis vfiW include Loew's pic(?(«; De 

 Charmoy's Mauritius insect, which is at present nameless ; and 

 my helianthi. For the present, however, I would treat it 'only as 

 a subgenus of Phenacoccus ; and OudahUs may be considered a 

 subgenus of Dactylopius. 



A word should be added regarding Phenacoccus socius (New- 

 stead), found at Wakefield, Yorkshire. The male is said to have 

 " two long and two short white filaments, the latter not reaching 

 beyond the closed wings." This points to a Paroudahlis. The 

 species is stated to be near P. mespili, but to differ in being 

 greenish-yellow. This is almost exactly what might be said of 

 P. pruni (Burmeister), but in view of Burmeister's inadequate 

 description, the identity of pruni with socius could only be sur- 

 mised, hardly proved. 



Mesilla Park, New Mexico : Dec. 14th, 1899. 



NOTES AND OBSEEVATIONS. 



A Second Generation of Vanessa io, Linn. — M. Ude records 

 (Entom. Nachrichten, 1899, xxv. 366) that on Sept. 20th last he 

 found at Eehberge, near Berlin, a number of half-grown larvae of V. io 

 (found as a rule only in May or June, sometimes in July), which pro- 

 duced normal butterflies in due course. The author remarks that in 

 the course of twelve years' collecting he has never before found a 

 second generation of this species. — G. W. K. 



Eaewigs Beneficial. — Forficula auricular ia, Liun., is reported 

 (' Rovartani Lapok,' 1899, p. 175, and appendix, p. 16) to be beneficial 

 by exterminating larvae of Conchilis anibujuella. This supports Kiihl's 

 opinion as to the normal diet of the earwig being carnivorous (1887, 

 M.T. Schweiz. Ges. vii. 310).— G. W. K. 



The Flavour of Caterpillars. — " De La Lande — the celebrated 

 astronomer," says d'Isjonvalle, "often supped with me on Saturdays, 

 and found nothmg more to his liking than to eat caterpillars and 

 spiders when in season. As my room opened directly on to a fine 

 garden, he easily found the wherewithal to satisfy his first hunger; 

 but as Madame d'Isjonvalle hkes to do things well, she used to collect 

 some during the afternoon, to offer him on his arrival. As I always 

 decbned my share of this relish, I can only trust to hearsay for the 

 difference in flavour between a spider and a caterpillar. The first, says 

 our astronomer, has a nutty taste, the second a taste exactly like that of 

 stone-fruit." (A. Daguin, "in ' Le Naturaliste,' 1899, p. 25).— G. W. K. 



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