PRACTICAL HINTS. 49 



flying about the timber at noon. This is the last note I have of them 

 in 1898. In 1899 I saw the first flying over the timber at midday, 

 May 11th, and observed specimens nearly every day tip to and includ- 

 ing June 8th. These beautiful little moths fly chiefly in the warmer 

 part of the day, about noon, but I have seen them on the wing as early 

 as 9.15 a.m. As I have found them quite early in the morning in 

 water collected on the tops of casks, with Tortricids and Tineids, where 

 there were none the previous day, I think they must have a period of 

 flight during the dark hours. On dull days they are sluggish and apt 

 to seek shelter, as on May 25th, when a cold east wind was blowing. 

 I could then find none though I saw two on the 24th and two on the 

 26th. I observed the moths pairing on May 23rd, at 11.0 a.m., and 

 boxed the pair with a small piece of the timber. The female did not 

 lay any eggs till three days after when she deposited about a dozen, 

 pushing them into the pores of the wood. On May 29th I saw another 

 pair in cop., and a third on June 1st, soon after 8.0 a.m. This last 

 pair I observed at intervals without disturbing them. The female 

 began to deposit her ova between noon and 1.0 p.m., walking about 

 the timber to find suitable points. She inserted the ovipositor, which 

 was protruded 3mm., into the cells of the wood at the end of a beam 

 where it had been sawn across the grain, and also under the dust which 

 lay in places on the surface of the w^ood. I discovered two ova imme- 

 diately after she had laid them in the dust, and a third one three parts 

 embedded at a point where she had previously been. The ova were laid 

 singly, but those that were laid by the captured female were in clusters, 

 no doubt owing to the small piece of wood provided. The ova appeared 

 large for the size of the moth, somewhat cylindrical, but with the ends 

 rounded off beautifully, though rather irregularly pitted over the 

 surface, and of a very pale ochreous colour. In some cases, where 

 they were thrust deeply into the wood, their shape was much modified. 

 Six days after the ova were laid by the captured female they became 

 deeper in tint, and hatched after another ten days — sixteen days in all. 

 The young larvae were very active, almost white, with a dark head, and 

 furnished with exceptionally long stiff hairs in the lateral areas. As I 

 was too occupied to attempt to rear the larvte I set them free on the 

 old timber. — A. Sich, F.E.S., Brentwood, Barrowgate Road, Chis- 

 wick. 



JPRAGTIGAL HINTS. 

 Field Work for February and March. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



1. — The twigs of currant bushes (cut the previous year) should be 

 overhauled in February and March for the larvae of Sesia tipuliformis. 



2. — The imagines of Hybernia marginaria are to be found after dark 

 sitting on the bare twigs of hedges and the bushes in woods — hazel and 

 hawthorn appear to be preferred. 



3. — A quantity of the common round oak-galls should be collected 

 in March. They will contain the pupa3 of Coccyx splendidulana, &c., 

 the larvae of many species spinning up in them. 



4. — In March the imago of Nyssia zonaria is to be found resting on 

 the bare sand on the sandhills of the Lancashire coasts. It emerges 

 from the pupa about 8.0 p.m. (Birchall). 



