NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 289 



details of my experience would be interesting. From some clirysalids 

 received in exchange I obtained specimens from March 12th to the 21st 

 inclusive, the first being a male, which I killed, thinking it only an 

 isolated case of abnormally early appearance. On the 16th, however, 

 J was surprised to see another out, also a male ; and on the 17th a fine 

 pair, from which I obtained fertile ova on the 18th and 19th. These 

 began hatching on April lltli, the larvfe beginning to pupate on 

 May 22nd, the moths emerging from June 7tli to 17th inclusive. 

 From these I obtained ova on June 11th, 12fch, and 13th, the larvie 

 appearing on June 26th and 27th, and starting to pupate on August 8th; 

 and of course I expected these to hybernate in the pupa state, and was 

 considerably surprised to see a specimen in the cage on August 20th, 

 and others on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, all being males. I was disap- 

 pointed at this, but on the 26th, however, I was delighted to see a pair 

 in the cage, from which I obtained fertile ova, which commenced 

 hatching on the 9th inst. I have thus succeeded in obtaining three 

 distinct broods, the latter of which were the same size as the ordinary 

 second brood. Now I come to what I think the most curious part of 

 my experience, as I have still six large larv?e and two which spun up 

 yesterday from the same lot of ova that produced imagines from 

 August 20th to 26th inclusive. They are about three times the 

 size of those which pupated from August 8th on. Thus, you will 

 observe, I have larvae from the same batch of ova, some of which 

 pupated in six weeks, and two in about ten weeks ; while I still have 

 six feeding up, and, if I am successful in rearing, should produce very 

 large specimens. All dates and particulars given in the above I have 

 taken from my diary, which I keep posted from day to day, and which 

 I find a splendid plan for reference should one require to obtain fresh 

 series of any particular species at any time. — Richard Gakbatt ; 

 5, Clive Crescent, Penarth. 



SESHDiE OF North America. — We have just received vol. i. part 6, 

 of the ' Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History,' dated 

 March, 1901, which contains a " Monograph of the SesiidaB of America, 

 North of Mexico." It contains 136 pages of letterpress, and eight 

 excellent coloured plates of the moths, and the galleries of their larvae 

 in the interior of the trunk, branches, stems, or roots of the plants 

 which they attack. There are additional illustrations in the text, and 

 a very full bibliography. The scientific portion of the work seems to 

 be excellently done, and the destructive character is referred to of some 

 of the species, of which the best known is our own Currant Clearwing 

 [Sesia tipuliformis), which has been introduced with the currant into 

 many other parts of the world, and is now common in Europe, North 

 America, Australia, and even New Zealand. The references given by 

 Mr. Beutenmiiller fill more than two of his very large pages, in very 

 small type. — W. F. K. 



Northumberland Odonata. — Mr. G. Bolam, of Berwick-on-Tweed, 

 has forwarded to me for identification several dragonflies from the 

 North of Northumberland. They are Sympetrum striolatum (Chathill) ; 

 S. scoticum (Chathill) ; Libellula depressa ; L. quadrimaculata, including 

 one of the immigrants to Berwick noticed last year ; jEsckna cyanea, 

 of which Mr. Bolam says that it is " the most common or best 



