Insects. 9410 



man, at the village of Freethorpe, a few miles distant from the last-named place: it 

 measured 32 inches from the lip of its bill lo the end of its tail, and 4 feet 8 inches 

 across its wini^s to the point of each. The stomach was empty. — T. E. Gunn. 



Billern near Epworlh, Buwlry. — I have just seen a very fine example of the 

 hittern, shot to-day by Mr. T. Bletcher, on his farm near Epworlh, who has placed it 

 in the hands of Mr. H. Gravil, of this town, for preservation. About thirty years since 

 this maj;;nificent species was very abundant here, but the improved drainage has 

 caused their visits to be few and far between. One specimen was shot here last year. 

 I am truly sorry that this, one of our noblest species, should be so fast disappearing 

 from among us. — Samuel Hudson ; Epivorth, Baivtrij, November 14, 1864. 



Squacco Heron near Yarmouth. — On the 8th of July, 1864, during a short stay in 

 London, I obtained a splendid specimen of the adult squacco heron in the flesh. It 

 was killed near Yarmouth on the previous day by a gardener, and forwarded by him 

 to Mr. Ward, of Vere Street. The weather being very hot at that time, I had the 

 bird skinned at once, and upon dissection it proved to be a male. The plumage was 

 peculiarly rich and fine; in fact I never saw so good a specimen. It has been very 

 beautifully set up by Mr. Henry Shaw, of Shrewsbury, and is now in my collection. — 

 John Roche ; Clungunford House, Shropshire. 



Great Northern Diver on the Sussex Coast. — I have to-day seen a specimen of the 

 great northern diver in the flesh, which had been recently killed ofi" the coast. From 

 the plumage I should take it to be a young male, the general colour of the upper parts 

 being ash-gray, the rings on the neck faintly visible. — PF. Jeffery,jan. ; November 23. 



Leach's Stormy Petrel at Worthing. — A specimen of Leach's stormy petrel was 

 picked up exhausted, on the beach at Worthing, on the 21st of November, 1864 : the 

 bird was in good plumage, but much emaciated. — J. H. Gurney, 



Habit and Description of the Larva of Acidalia immutata. — I received eggs of this 

 species from Dr. Knaggs on the 18th of July, 1863, and the larva hatched on the 22nd. 

 They chose for their food Polygonum aviculare, but did not attain any great size before 

 byhernating. Through the winter they rested on the withered stems of their food-plant, 

 and did not begin to feed again in spring till the young seedlings of the Polygonum 

 had put out their second pair of leaves, when they seemed to find out that it was time 

 to commence eating again. They attained their full growth during the last week in 

 May and first week in June of the present summer, and spun themselves up in silken 

 cocoons under some short moss which had grown up on the surface of the earth in 

 their flower-pot. The first moth emerged on the 2nd of July. When full grown the 

 larva is about IJ inch long. In shape cylindrical, slightly pufi"ed at the spiracles, 

 tapering evenly towards the head, which is small and round ; the whole skin is ribbed 

 in rings, which go quite round the body. The ground colour is a warm slone-coloured 

 tint, and there is a dusky dorsal line forming two small dots at each segmental division; 

 above the spiracles an irregular double dusky line ; spiracles black, placed in a stripe, 

 rather paler than the ground colour, below which comes another dusky line, darkest 

 on its upper edge and fading ofi" below. The larva described above in structure and 

 colouring resembles those of Acidalia fumata, A. promutata and A. imilaria, except 

 that the two last are longer; and it is altogether difl'erent from the type furnished by 

 the shorter, stifi" and flattish larvae of A. subsericeata, A. incanata, A. aversata, A. inor- 

 nata and A. osseata. — Rev, J. Heliins, Exeter, in ^ EntomologisCs Monthly Magazine.' 



