84 VARIETIES. 



estate at Berrington, in Herefordshire, during the second week 

 in May, 1836. Eighteen specimens, of which no two are 

 precisely similar, are preserved in the cabinet of the Ento- 

 mological Club. E. Newman. 



7. Two perfect Specimens of the Emperor Moth produced 

 from one Caterpillar. — Mr. Marshall, at page 511 of the 

 last volume, is somewhat severe on the editor of the Fire- 

 fly, for not expressing his doubt or disbelief of the state- 

 ment made by Mr. Edmonds of Worcester, touching the 

 production of two moths from one caterpillar. Without 

 expressing a decided opinion on the subject, we should 

 like to call Mr. Marshall's attention to the fact, that the same 

 assertion had been previously made by at least half a dozen 

 different authors of respectability, among whom we may mention 

 Kirby and Spence. Mr. Dale, in the Magazine of Natural 

 History, asserts that he reared Arctia Menthrasti, and six of 

 Ophion Vinulce* from a pupa of Cerura Vinula. This is far 

 more extraordinary ; for supposing the six Ophions to be the 

 natural parasites of the Cerura caterpillar, then from whence 

 came Arctia Menthrasti ? Was that insect really produced 

 from a portion of the caterpillar of the puss moth ? We believe 

 neither the editor of the Magazine of Natural History, nor 

 any of his correspondents, ever expressed a doubt of this 

 " curious fact," as Mr. Dale very appropriately calls it. An- 

 other correspondent of Mr. Loudon's excellent and scientific 

 periodical roundly asserts, that the " tail of the caterpillar 

 becomes the head of the butterfly : this is as remarkable as if 

 it stood thus : " the great toe of the boy becomes the nose of 

 the man." We still would not dispute the question ; we should 

 only conclude that our researches into insect anatomy had been 

 too shallow to develop the fact, which this insect anatomist had 

 by almost superhuman skill and elaborate investigation dis- 

 covered. The real name of this extraordinary genius, we 

 believe, has not yet transpired ; nor do we hear that he is at 

 present publishing his researches : we venture to predict, that 

 when they are fully received by entomologists, the works of 

 Straus-Durckheim, Herold, Lyonnet, Dufour, and Audouin, 

 will become waste paper. Editor. 



