1893.] 139 



Lecanium distinguendum, Doug., on broom in Guernsey. — During April I found 

 numbers of large Coccid scales on the broom {Sarothamnus scoparius), which, grows 

 in small patches on the clifPs near the Gouffre, on the south coast of the Island. 

 Many of the plants bore hundreds of scales, whilst others close by had not a single 

 specimen. I noticed that all the Coeefrf-infested plants were pressed close to the 

 surface of the rocks, in which were ants' nests, and these ants were swarming over 

 the Coccids, appearing to derive great satisfaction from licking them. I sent speci- 

 mens of the Coccids to Mr. R. Newstead, who says they are undoubtedly Lecanium 

 distinguendum, Doug., and that all the scales sent were badly infested with parasitic 

 larvse, which accounted for their very abnormal form. Hitherto the only known 

 food- plant of this species was Vaccinium myrtillus (which does not occur in Guernsey). 

 It was first described as a new species by Mr. Douglas in the Ent. Mo. Mag. for 

 April, 1891, from specimens found in Delamere Forest by Mr. Newstead. — W. A. 

 Luff, Guernsey : May 15th, 1893. 



Anthocharis cardamines in Guernsey. — I have pleasure in recording the capture 

 of a male specimen of this butterfly in Guernsey on April 23rd. It was flying over 

 a marshy spot called La Grande Mare, near Vazon Bay, on the west coast of the 

 Island. I had no net with me at the time, but succeeded in securing it with my hat. 

 This is the first record of its capture in Guernsey. In a " List of the Butterflies of 

 Jersey," by Mr. F. G. Piquet, published in Newman's " Entomologist " for June, 

 1873, he says, " Has been once taken near Victoria Yillage, St. Saviour's." — Id. 



(Economy of Incurvaria capitella. — -It may be of sufficient interest, in confirma- 

 tion of my observations (Ent. Mo. Mag., 2nd Sei-ies, vol. iii, p. 297), that this species 

 spins its hibernaculum on the branches of the currant bush, and not in the ground 

 or elsewhere, to note that on March 15th, 1893, I examined this bush, on a branch 

 of which (about one-fourth or one-fifth of the tree) I last year sleeved a moth. On 

 this one branch T found over a dozen larvse of I. capitella in buds and shoots, whilst 

 not one was to be seen in all the rest of the tree. As several were already in their 

 last skins, it is obvious that in this precocious season I was rather late in the date of 

 my examination, to find them at all freshly emerged from their cocoons. The 

 smallest was 4 mm. in length, and moulted twice more, and had probably moulted 

 once already this spring. — T. A. Chapman, Firbank, Hereford : May, 1893. 



Pupa of Parnassius Apollo. — This pupa is clothed with a very thick " bloom," 

 apparently of the same nature as that in Cosmia trapezina and Halias prasinana, &c., 

 but very much thicker, so that quite an appreciable quantity may be scraped ofP. I 

 find that this melts when heated, running together into transparent globules. Water 

 and alcohol have no effect upon it. Ether does not dissolve it rapidly, if at all. What 

 is its nature ? Its use seems very probably as a waterproof coating, as water is 

 strikingly repelled by it, and the cocoon is found on the surface of the soil, often 

 probably in places liable to be flooded. — Id. 



Eupithecia irriguata in the Isle of Purbeck. — As this pretty " pug " is not 

 only extremely local, but also decidedly rare, even in its special haunts, I was de- 

 lighted last month to be able to add it to our list of Purbeck Lepidoptera. As I 

 was passing through a copse near here on the evening of April 24th, a small 



