﻿136 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



this very mild winter, I may add that in the neighbourhood of Weymouth 

 to-day I saw a sallow in full bloom. — Chas. E. Partridge ; The Castle, 

 Portland, February 14, 1890. 



Agrotis ashworthii Doubl. = A. candelarum, Stdgr. — Mr. W. 

 Gardner is justifiably enthusiastic over the beauty of Agrotis ashworthii 

 (Entom. p. 5), but as to its individuality it must be confessed that it is 

 generally admitted to be merely an illustration of the melanism, so com- 

 monly occurring in Great Britain, of common Continental species, and by 

 no means entitled to rank as a separate species. The typical representa- 

 tive A. candelarum Stdgr. = (candelisequa Hb. 897), is of no rare occurr- 

 ence throughout Europe. — N. F. Dobree; The New Walk, Beverley, 

 E. Yorks, February 3, 1890. 



LarvjE of Bombyx rubi. — On the 1st December I found several larvae 

 of the above, at an altitude of 1100 feet, crawling on the heather amongst 

 the unmelted snow, though there was no sunshine, and we had had a 

 week's hard weather. Again on the 15th, on the same ground, I found 

 larvae, after an exceptionally wet and rough week. Surely this is uuusual ? 

 — Chas. Partridge ; Farchynys, Dolgelly. 



Vanessa io at Christmas. — Whilst walking about the New Forest, 

 last Christmas Day, I had the pleasure of watching a specimen of the above 

 butterfly on the wing; it sported about ivy for some time, but did not settle 

 upon it ; eventually it espied me, and alighted upon the trunk of an oak, 

 within a foot of my head, fanning its beautiful wings, in which position I 

 left it. There were numerous hollies around, looking so fresh and green, 

 and the weather being simply glorious, that really io did not look out of 

 season. — J. Ht. Fowler; Bingwood. 



Variation in size of Coleoptera. — In connection with the variation 

 in size of certain species of Coleoptera, mentioned in Mr. Cockerell's 

 recent papers on variation (Entom. xxii. p. 245), it may be of interest to 

 record the following measurements of two species in my collection, which I 

 think are unusually divergent in size for specimens of the same insect 

 taken under almost identical conditions: — (1.) Lasiorhynchus barbicomis, 

 male 34, 24, and 11 lines; female, 21 and 14 lines. (2.) Mmonahirta, 

 female, ]2 lines, male, 9 and 5 lines. — G. V. Hudson; Wellington, New 

 Zealand, November 20, 1889. 



Early appearance of Hybernia marginaiua, &c. — Myself and a 

 friend have taken the following moths this year; and as some of them are 

 much earlier than I have ever taken them before, I thought it would be of 

 interest to some of your readers. January 10th, Hybernia rupicapraria ; 

 31st, Anisopteryx cescularia. February 1st, Hybernia marginaria {progem- 

 maria). I may add that we also took nineteen Phigalia pedaria (pilosaria) 

 at lamps, January 31st.— W. E. Butler; 91, Chatham Street, Beading, 

 February 14, 1890. 



As an evidence of the great mildness of the month of January, my son 

 took a fine specimen of Melanippe fiuctuata in our garden on the 2nd of 

 this month. I think this is an unusually early capture of even this very 

 common species. It may interest your readers to know that last season I 

 took a specimen of the black form of Hemerophila abruptaria in this neigh- 

 bourhood. — Douglas A. Onslow; 28, Carltou Hill, N.W., Feb. 22, 18'JO. 



