NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 351 



had some little experience in breeding and noting tiie emergence of 

 this interesting moth. I have always noticed that the pupa pro- 

 trudes a great part of its length during and after the emergence of 

 the moth through the cocoon, and in some cases where the cocoon is 

 buried at some little depth, either in earth or wood, showing through 

 this also. On numerous occasions in the breeding cage I have been 

 able to watch the commencement of the emergence, when the head 

 of the pupa breaks through the cocoon and gradually by movements 

 almost imperceptible works itself partly out of the cocoon, then 

 resting awhile before the moth actually commences to burst away 

 the head of the pupa and work its way out and crawl to some 

 suitable spot to expand and dry its wings, though in a good many 

 cases it will cling to the cocoon to dry these. I have a piece of 

 decayed willow with cocoons and earth, measuring 5J in. x 4 in. x 

 3 in., from which fourteen Cossns emerged this year, and I tliink I had 

 every one under observation while they came out : seven on June 

 26th ; one male on the 27th ; one male and two females on the 28th ; 

 one female on the 30th and two females on July 1st. In all cases 

 they commenced breaking through the cocoon between 1.15 and 

 2 p.m. and were clear and commencing to expand, the earliest at 

 2 p.m., and the latest at 2.40. — Laurence S. Hodson; Maisonnette, 

 Palmers Green, N., November 14th, 1910. 



Leucania loreyi, &c., in the South of Ireland ; Leucania 

 viTELLiNA, &c., IN Kent. — Amoug a number of Lepidoptera captured 

 this year in the neighbourhood of Queenstown by my friend Com- 

 mander E. S. Gwatkin-Williams, K.N., and which he sent to me to 

 determine for him, was a fresh-looking example of Leucania loreyi. 

 Upon writing for further particulars, Commander Gwatkin-Williams 

 informs me that he beat the moth fi'om ivy-bloom on his garden 

 wall, about thirty yards from the sea, on October 6th. The night 

 was fine and clear but rather cold, and calm, after a succession of 

 south-easterly gales. It was a male in bright and perfect condition, 

 with the exception of a small slit in one of the hind wings, which 

 was probably done at the time of capture ; the fringes were entire, 

 and I should imagine it had not flown far. It is much paler than 

 the figure given in South's ' Moths of the British Isles,' plate 149, 

 fig. 6 ; but Newman's figure, No. 444, of ' Illustrated Natural 

 History of British Moths,' gives a very good idea of it. The larva 

 and food-plant are apparently unknown, so far as I can ascertain 

 from books in my possession. If, however, anything should be 

 known about either, I shall be glad of information on the subject. 

 Among the other insects sent for determination I found Dianthacia 

 casia, D. capsophila, Leucania stravmiea, Ta'pinostola fulva, Hyclrcecia 

 micacea, &c., all captured in the same locality. Commander Gwatkin- 

 Williams only began collecting two or three years ago, and last year he 

 sent me some insects he had taken in Kent to name for him, and 

 among them I found a couple of Leucania vitelli^ia, C. flucUtosa, 

 Argyrolepia cBneana, &c. The vitelUna were taken at sugar, near 

 Sheerness, late in September. It is proverbial how lucky beginners 

 are ! — Gervase F. Mathew ; Dovercourt, Essex, November 16th, 

 1910. 



