Inst'cls. 7717 



Larva of Closlera artachorela. — In my description of (lie larva of Clostera ana- 

 choreta (Zool. 7681) I have said that Mr. Cooper was not aware of the value of his 

 caplure until the perfect insect emerged. My friend Mr. Doubleday writes: — 

 " Sidney Cooper was not aware that the insect which he bred was C. anachoreta until, 

 some time afterwanls, he saw my specimens of C. curiula, which he said were dif- 

 ferent from the insect he bred, which therefore was no doubt anachoreta." I exceed- 

 ingly regret to find that I have annoyed a very liberal ei.timologist by saying the 

 localities given for this insect were " calculated (if not designed) to lead our assiduous 

 larva-hunters astray." When I wrote this I had no doubt that the vague definition 

 " home counties" was designed to put our exterminating dealers " off the scent,'' — a 

 design, by the way, I considered highly praiseworthy. I now, however, most cheer- 

 fully withdraw all that I wrote on this species, save and except the description of the 

 larva. — Edivard Neivman. 



Descripdon of the Larva of Acronycta Alni. — The larva of this scarce species has 

 an appearance remarkably striking and conspicuous. One was brought me on the 3rd 

 instant. It was found reposing on a leaf of the common dock by the road-side, under 

 a hedge the principal part of which consisted of sloe bushes, in an open part of the 

 country, where the trees were but few and fiu between and vegetation in general 

 exceedingly scant; about as unlikely a spot, altogether, to produce the species as 

 could well be conceived, the nearest wood — in which, by the bye, I look a specimen 

 of the perfect insect at sugar five years ago, a fact recorded in the ' Intelligencer' for 

 1856, p. 109 — being about two miles distant. Sloe it refused to touch, as well as elm, 

 sycamore, sallow, willow, bramble and wild rose, passed without imtice over oak, ash 

 and hazel, but seized upou a leaf of hawthorn, which it began eagerly to devour, relin- 

 quishing it to feed on alder, when a leaf of the plant was presented to it. That this, 

 however, could not have been the kind of food it had been subsisting on previously is 

 clear, from the fact that the plant does not occur nearer the spot than at the wood 

 alluded to above. On the 7th it began to spin itself up among the upper leaves of 

 the plants I had placed at its disposal, although a bed of loose mould was underneath 

 in which it might have buried itself had it chosen to have done so. This larva does 

 not appear to be up to any particular dodge on being distuibed, such as falling down 

 as though suddenly attacked with epilepsy, or putting on the semblance of death, but 

 will bear handling without manifesting much uneasiness or exhibiting signs of great 

 annoyance. The head is moderately brond, intensely black and glossy : body intensely 

 black, but not glo^sy, of uniform size throughout: legs, like the head, glossy black. 

 Down the back a row of large oblong spots, placed transversely, of bright yellow (bor- 

 dered in my specimen with white). Fiom each side of each segment of the body 

 springs an object, long, slender and flat, more resembling a fine thin strip of whale- 

 bone than a hair or bristle, each of which has a spade-like termination ; like the 

 head and legs these appendages, which render a mistake in the creature's identity next 

 to impossible, are glossy black. — S. Slone ; August 10, 1861. 



Occurrence of Leucania Elymi in England. — The Leucania announced on the 

 wrapper of the ' Zoologist' has been identified by M. Guenee (to whom Mr. Double- 

 day was kind enough to send one of the specimens I captured) with Nonagria Elymi 

 of Treitschke. I must beg to say thai the honour of first cajituriug the insect in Eng- 

 land is due to Mr. Winter, though I believe he only preceded me by some three or 

 four minutes. Its habits are very retired, and I saw none at dusk, though its light 

 colour would render it conspicuous. — G. It, Crotch ; Weston-super-Mare, AiiguU 21. 



