100 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



small, they would probably be free from parasites. But from the 

 hundred or so pupae I only bred one butterfly, the remaming pupse, as 

 in the previous year, being all stung. Are these larvje usually so 

 dreadfully infested ? Very few seem to have escaped last year in this 

 neighbourhood, for I do not remember having seen any of the butter- 

 flies on the wing during the late summer, and if only a small proportion 

 of the larvae that were about had produced imagines I should surely 

 have seen some of them. — Gervase F. Mathew ; Dovercourt, Essex, 

 March 13th, 1903. 



The Mild Weather. — We have had some remarkably mild weather 

 here since the beginning of last month. Hawthorn bushes were bursting 

 into leaf in sheltered places as early as February 9th, and sallows were 

 in bloom before the end of the month. At the present time the hedges 

 are looking quite green where there is much hawthorn, and elm shoots, 

 willow, blackthorn, bramble are all coming out. I visited the woods 

 yesterday, and found some of the sallow bushes already passing. 

 Pieris rapw was seen on February 18th and 19th, and yesterday Vanessa 

 cardiii was noticed sunning itself on a brick wall. — Gervase F. Mathew. 



The Habits of Tachytes and Paranysson. — On June 7th, 1899, I 

 found some large wasps of the genus Tachytes burrowing in tiie soil on 

 the campus of the Agricultural College at Mesilla Park, New Mexico. 

 They made mounds about two inches high and six in diameter, the 

 tunnel being half an inch in diameter, and going down a foot or more. 

 Owing to the extreme looseness of the soil, I was quite unable to trace 

 the burrows to the end; one, which I left apparently hopelessly spoiled, 

 was nevertheless opened up again by the wasp next day. The specimens 

 of Tachytes captured were females, and in Fox's table (Proc. Philad. 

 Acad , 1893) they run to T. crassus, from which they differ by the red 

 femora. I do not regard them as representing a new species, however, 

 as I am confident that they are T. exoryuttus, Fox, known hitherto only 

 in the males. Paranysson texanns, Cresson, was very common about 

 the burrows, entering them freely, as though it were parasitic on the 

 Tachytes. What we are to understand from this fact, I do not know. — 



T. D. A. COCKERELL. 



"Emperor of Morocco." — In reply to Mr. W. F. Kirby's question 

 {ante, p. 17), I note that the Rev. F. 0. Morris, in his ' History of 

 British Butterflies,' uses the name "Emperor of Morocco" as a 

 synonym of "Purple Emperor." — R. F. Towndrow; Malvern Link. 



Ovipositing of Erastria fuscula. — For the past few years I have 

 attempted without success to induce Erastria fuscula to oviposit. I 

 have enclosed sprays of bramble and raspberry with the female, both 

 of which are given as its food-plant. Molinia ccerulea, or purple melic- 

 grass, I have not tried, as I have never found it growing where I take 

 the insect. Perhaps some entomologist who has met with better 

 success will come to my assistance. — Chas. E. Partridge; 72, St. John's 

 Park, Blackheath. 



Merrin's Calendar. — We are pleased to hear that it is proposed to 

 issue a new edition of ' Merrin's Lepidopterists' Calendar.' The work 

 is being undertaken by E. E. B. Brest, M.A., F.Z.S., and H. M. 

 Stewart, M.D., M.A. We understand that these gentlemen will 



