322 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



At Oxshott, Surrey, on May 29th, a male of P. germanica 

 was enclosed in a box with a small living spider. Apparently, 

 each arthropod was afraid of the other, and, as the Panorpa 

 refused to feed, the spider was killed and replaced in the box. 

 The scorpion-fly was then repeatedly observed to be feeding with 

 manifest relish upon the dead spider, moving its wings and 

 abdomen while doing so. 



On May 31st a living micro-lepidopteron (probably Catoptria 

 ulicitana) was presented to another male of P. germatiica, also 

 at Oxshott. Both insects were shy of each other, but, an hour 

 after the moth had been killed and again presented, the Panorpa 

 was found to be feeding, and its meal lasted fully half an hour. 

 By that time the abdomen of the moth was entirely consumed. 

 In this case feeding was not accompanied by movement of the 

 wings or abdomen. Later on the same day a killed moth 

 {Bupalus piniaria) was given to the Panorpa, but the scorpion- 

 fly died without feeding having been observed. 



Our observations tend to show, therefore, that, although the 

 timid scorpion-flies are undoubtedly carnivorous insects, they 

 feed upon dead animal matter, and do not catch and devour 

 living prey. Mr. W. J. Lucas has also arrived at the conclusion 

 that " it is perhaps established that in the imago stage they suck 

 the juices of dead or injured animals, but do not hunt them 

 down themselves" (Entom. xliii. p. 186 [1910]). It is not at 

 all clear, however, whether adult Panorpidae are really as short- 

 lived as they appear to be, or whether, in a state of nature, they 

 get nourishment at more frequent intervals than did the subjects 

 of oar experiments. 

 58, Ranelagh Road, Ealing: October 9th, 1912. 



NOTES ON SEITZ'S ' MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA OF THE 

 WOELD.' 



By T. D. a. Cockerell. 



I HAVE just obtained Seitz's magnificent work, so far as 

 published to date, and am truly astonished at its excellence and 

 cheapness. It is a great privilege to be living at the time of 

 publication of such a book. Going through the several parts I 

 have noted a few things which may be of interest ; relatively 

 trifling matters, but perhaps deserving notice at this time. 



Pieris brassicce var. ohsciirata is nearly the same as var. 

 nigrescens (Entom. xxii. p. 55), which is based on the form 

 from near Perth described by Newman and in Entom. iv. p. 258. 

 The original publication of the name nigrescens is hardly 

 sufficiently explicit. 



Anthocharis cardammes var. minor (Entom. xxii. p. 176) is 



