350 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



were eaten through aear the base, and the larvae had disappeared, 

 probably having pupated in the ground. I also find that the 

 working of the larva is usually confined to the lowest portion of the 

 thistle stems, though they are sometimes found in the upper portion. 

 Mr. Morley's remarks on my note on p. 314 of the ' Entomologist ' 

 for November should read "The re-discovery of Phygadeuon ambi- 

 guus," &c., as, of course, Chilosia is a well-known insect. — C. G. Nurse 

 (Lt. -Colonel) ; Timworth Hall, Bury St. Edmunds. 



Carpocapsa nimbana, H. S. — The two dark moths Mr. Whittle 

 bred from beech-mast are no doubt this moth, so much wanted in 

 nearly all collections. I first bred it, a single specimen, in May, 

 1889, and since those days have bred a fair quantity but always in 

 small numbers ; one lucky season I bred fifteen, but never so many 

 before or since. I have never seen the feeding larva, but no doubt 

 it feeds in beech-mast. I onty on one occasion met with the imago, 

 four specimens, at rest on the beech-trunks, after a heavy gale the 

 previous night. Although I have spent very many hours in search- 

 ing the trunks of beech-trees at all hours of the day from 6 a.m. till 

 dusk, I never found any other specimens. To breed the moth I 

 prise off any little pieces of loose bark I can find on the trunks of 

 the large trees during the month of April, and once in a while a little 

 cocoon will be found, sometimes containing a lai"va, or later in the 

 month a pupa, but very much more frequently it will be an empty 

 one ! Searching for these cocoons where there is no lichen or moss 

 to peel off, as is alas ! generally the case in the London district, is 

 one of the most dreary, monotonous occupations imaginable, and 

 often a very disappointing one. Always use silver pins, as the moth, 

 unlike its near relative, C. Juliana, is very subject to grease and 

 verdigris. The imago comes out early in May. — A. Thurnall. 



EuPCECiLiA UDANA, Gn. — I was much surprised to read in 

 the October number of the ' Entomologist ' (p. 295) that so experienced 

 a collector as Mr. Whittle had not met with this species until July 

 last. I found the larva the first time I looked for it ! This was on 

 Hackney marshes as far back as 1885. Since then I have hardly 

 ever failed to find larvae wherever the food-plant {Alisma plantago) 

 grows freely. The perfect insect is not so often seen. The best way 

 to obtain the species is to search by splitting open a few of the dead 

 stems, and the larvae, if present, will be found throughout the winter 

 months spun up in little cocoons attached to the side of the stem ; 

 they are easily overlooked, but if the pith shows signs of having 

 been gnawn and frass is scattered about, one may be sure that the 

 larva is somewhere in the stem, usually in the upper half. Now 

 gather a good bundle, trimming off the branches, and stick the main 

 stems in the garden ; towards the end of May bring them into the 

 house and they will soon come straggling out, often over a period of 

 many weeks. Pin them with silver pins to avoid verdigris. — 

 A. Thurnall; Wanstead, November 12th, 1910. 



Emergence of Cossus Ligniperda. — With reference to Mr. 

 Robert Adkin's note on Cossus ligniperda {ante, pp. 315), I have 



