NEW FOREST NOTES, 1912. 187 



the small larvae, which I placed on a plant of the common 

 ornamental Genista growing in a pot indoors, throve well, the 

 first pupating on June 25th ; when reared in this manner larvae 

 of B. cinctaria do not require a sleeve, as they never stray from 

 the food-plant. Towards the end of April B. cinctaria was 

 particularly plentiful, the favourite resting-places of the species 

 during the day being the trunks of pine trees growing on the 

 heaths. 



Attached to the hairs on a small larva of Macrothylacia rubi 

 found on July 6th were several tiny, vermillion, spider- like 

 parasites ; these did not seem to incommode the larva in any 

 way, and with its first ecdysis after capture they disappeared. 



In the early spring the abundance of the larvae of Boarmia 

 repandata was very remarkable — they might be picked up in 

 dozens at night while feeding on heather, honeysuckle, &c, in 

 the rides of the enclosures. In previous years I have noticed 

 that some five per cent, of the pupae produced the var. conver- 

 saria, but in 1912 I bred only one specimen of the variety from 

 over one hundred pupae. 



Larvae of Hylophila bicolorana were also more plentiful than 

 usual ; unfortunately the majority of them, at any rate in 

 captivity, were stricken with a fatal disease, which first mani- 

 fested itself in the shape of minute red spots on the body of the 

 larva, gradually increasing in size until the creature presented a 

 blotched appearance and in a few days became flaccid and died. 

 Another oak-feeding larva which turned up in some numbers 

 was that of Hadena protea ; it is certainly some years since it 

 was so common with us. During August, September, and 

 October the larvae one usually meets with at that time of the 

 year were very scarce ; in fact, it was difficult to meet with 

 anything excepting a few Chimabacche fagella. 



As is well known, the full-fed larvae of Sarrothripa reveyana 

 may be found in June, I was therefore much surprised to 

 "beat" a specimen on Sept. 4th ; it pupated within a few days, 

 and the imago duly emerged on Oct. 3rd. 



As to insects of other orders, I find but few notes in my diary 

 worth recording. On May 28th I noticed several Osmylus 

 chrysops fluttering along under the banks of the Blackwater near 

 Fletcher's Thorns, which is, I understand, a locality where they 

 have been known to occur for some years past, and where larvae 

 have been found by Dr. D. Sharp. 



Mr. C. B. Williams's notes on the life-history of Raphidia 

 maculicollis (Entom. xlvi. 1913, p. 6) greatly interested me, the 

 more so as he was successful in rearing a parasite (Pyracmon 

 melanurus) from the larva. In describing the ova of R. notata 

 (Entom. xli. 1908, p. 233), which appear to be very similar to 

 those of R. macidicollis, I mentioned that the eggs I obtained 

 were in contact one with another, as is the case with the ova of 



