288 THE entomologist's record. 



The S and ? pupm above described produced next day (August 

 10th) a $ and ? imago respectively. 



Notes from East Devon. 



By W. S. EIDING, J3.A., M.D., F.E.S. 



I have generally a grumble on the unproductiveness of sugaring in - 

 this neighbourhood, but last July it reminded me of old days at Fresh- 

 water when moths jostled one another on the patches, and a quick eye 

 and deft hand were wanted to secure varieties, and one never went 

 home with an empty box. The cause was not far to seek. The east 

 winds of spring and early summer were not laden with " blight," as 

 the country folk call it, and our young shoots were spared the attacks 

 of green-fly with all their prolific possibilities ; there was no coating 

 of leaves with honey-dew. Some half-dozen times or more I came 

 across young shoots of ivy and elder thickly covered with ants hurry- 

 ing to and fro, and, on examining them, found they were feeding on 

 the secretions of aphides and doubtless carrying off prisoners to their 

 honey-dew farms. I do not think ants were more abundant generally, 

 neither were their other enemies, lady-birds and lace-wing flies, in 

 either the larval or perfect stages. Most of the common July visitors 

 of the Noctuid group put in an appearance — the L'aradrxnae, C. al'<i)U'fi 

 and (J. tara.raci were especially abundant, so were the Tortricids, 

 Paedisca prnfnndana and Tnrtri.c j-t/lostcana, as well as the Geometers 

 Aridalia dbnidiata and A. hisetata. The rarer insects Cali/uniia pi/rali)ia 

 and Rijpena alhistn'nalis were both much more numerous than of late 

 years. The former kept coming out from early in the month till the 

 end, when the J s were getting worn. Three Avere of the duller brown 

 colour with purplish hue. I kept two 5 s for ova, but, as I had 

 previously found, could not induce them to deposit, one, though 

 supplied with honey, dying in a few days. The H. (dbistii<iaUs were 

 skittish and difficult to box, they were in better condition than is usual 

 in July, and did not settle on the sugar till late in the evening. From 

 three 5 s I obtained about 60 ova ; these are very inconspicuous and 

 difficult to see on a chip box without a lens, only becoming slightly 

 greyish before hatching. I gave the young larva^ portions of most of 

 the plants I could think of as occurring in the locality where I take 

 the imago, both flowers and leaves, and I also tried them Avith lettuce, 

 knot-grass, thyme (flowers and leaves), and hop. I did not try heather, 

 as suggested by Mr. Prout, as none grows within 1^ miles of the spot, 

 and it cannot be the natural food. One and all were refused, and the 

 young larvae, after hopping about and surveying their surroundings in 

 Geometer fashion, died in from 24 to 36 hours. I managed to get a 

 brief description of their structure, which runs as follows : 



Head, very large, disproportion to body greater than usual, grey with black 

 lines. Body translucent, glassy-like, and slightly reddish on thorax and anterior 

 part of abdomen. Prologs, three pairs. Tubercles arranged as on Moctuids, one 

 long seta from each, 1^ times the breadth of the body, and several on head and feet. 



Failures are sometimes useful, as they may give hints leading to 

 success ; Ave noAv knoAv, at all eA'ents, that the larvae feed in July and 

 August. The ? s seem for the most part darker than the ^ s. 



We all meet with centipedes frequently about our sugar patches, but 

 I have never seen one attacking a moth till this year, and then I did 



