193 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES, CAPTURES, &c. 



Development of Red Pigment in Lepidoptera. — Mr, Bowles {ante, 

 p. 131), after describing a variety of Papilio phorcas, remarks : — " I believe 

 it is a generally accepted theory with evolutionists that yellow was evolved 

 in flowers before red. Perhaps this rule might be applicable also to the 

 animal kingdom, and then may not P. machaon be on the road to assume," 

 &c. May I be allowed to point out to Mr. Bowles that the supposition 

 which he so cautiously hazards here is simply what I have been insisting on 

 for the last seventeen months in my articles in the ' Entomologist.* — F. H. 

 Pebry Coste ; Ravenshoe, Burnt Ash, Lee, S.E. 



Emergence of Imago after injury to Larva. — I am able to corrob- 

 orate the incident related by Mr. Alfred T. M. Mitchell (Entom. 171). la 

 the autumn of 1889, whilst beating bog- myrtle for larvae, in Delamere 

 Forest, a caterpillar of Amphidasys betularia fell into the umbrella, evidently 

 badly hurt, as it had a wound, which bled freely, near the anal segment. 

 The wound, however, healed up, the larva was full-fed in a day or two, and 

 disappeared below the soil. That, I took for granted, would be the last I 

 should see of it; but, in the following summer, it re-appeared in the form 

 of a fine well-developed black female, var. doubledayaria. There could be 

 no mistake, as it was the only betularia larva I had that year. — J. Arkle ; 

 Chester, July 18, 1891. 



Red-tailed Bumble Bees eaten by Shrikes. — While in the Minera 

 district last year, I was particularly interested to find red-backed shrikes 

 [Lanius collurio, L.) feeding their young with Bomhus lapponicus, Fabr., 

 and B. lapidarius, L., principally the former, and this to a very great 

 extent, as their castings consisted almost entirely of the remains of these 

 insects. I also found B. muscorum, L., and B. lapidarius impaled on the 

 wild rose by shrikes ; these were exhibited at the last meeting of the 

 Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society, when a member declared 

 that the bees impale themselves by accident, flying against the spines ! 

 Curiously enough, my specimens are impaled through the thorax from 

 beneath ! How did the bees manage it ? I have never witnessed the 

 impaling process, but it is an acknowledged fact that the " butchers " are 

 guilty of such proceedings, and, moreover, it forms part of their generic 

 character. These birds are well known to feed upon bees, wasps, &c., but 

 it seems strange that they should select the red-tailed species in preference 

 to the more sombre-coloured ones. — R. Newstbad ; Grosvenor Museum, 

 Chester, July 14, 1891. 



Sphodrus leucophthalmus, L., emitting strong Acid-like Fumes. 

 — A few days since I received three specimens of this singular beetle from 

 Mr. Kendrick, of Warrington, who has kindly presented them to this 

 museum. While examining one of them with a lens, I noticed that it gave 

 off a most peculiar odour, which, by placing the insect close to the nostrils, 

 caused quite a stifling sensation. This it continued to do for about five 

 minutes, the fumes gradually becoming less strong, until eventually they 

 were not perceptible. I noticed that while this was taking place the dorsal 

 and ventral plates of the abdominal segment were constantly brought 

 together, and between them there was a very small quantity of a clear fluid, 

 l)iit 1 did not see this produced into a spray, although I held the insect 

 against a good light, and examined it with a lens. The fumes produced by 



ENTOM.— AUGUST, 1891. R 



