216 [August, 



A few days in the Camhridijeshire Fens.—¥vovQ June 9th to 14tli last, I spent 

 at Wicken ; Mr. G. C. Dennis, of York, being with uie until the 12th. Unfortu- 

 nately, the weather was very much against us, rain falling heavily every day following 

 that of our arrival, so that little collecting could be done. Most of the 10th we 

 spent at Chippenham Fen, where, as the result of close searching, a few full-fed 

 larvae of Plusia orichalcea were found. The pretty Bankia argentuta was getting 

 nicely out, and we each took a series. On Wicken Fen, Papilio Machaon was on 

 the wing during the short intervals of sunshine ; and at night a few Nascia cilialis 

 occurred on the wing and at the lamp. The other species included Lobophora sexa- 

 lisata, not uncommon, Collix sparsata, Eupithecia pygmceata, Apamea unanimis, 

 Paraponyx stratiotalis, Halias chlorana, Phoxopteryx paludana, Eupoecilia rupi- 

 colana, Glyphipteryx cladiella, Chauliodns IlligereUuii, &c., &c. 



Few Neuroptera and Trichoptera were taken, though I worked hard for them 

 when the weather would permit ; but the absence of sun doubtless accounted for 

 the scarcity of dragon-flies to some extent, and the herbage was too wet to satis- 

 factorily work the Trichoptera. The species secured in both Oi'ders I am sure do 

 not at all represent what might be taken in favourable weather, and later in the 

 season the ground must be prolific in these insects. Pyrrhosoma tenellum* was the 

 most interesting dragon-fly seen, and I was a little surprised to find it on Wicken 

 Fen. Agrion pulchellum was very abundant; and other species were Orthetrum 

 ccerulescens, Ischnura elegans, Agrion puella, &c. The ChrysopidcB were represented 

 by Chrysopa jiava and C. alba ; and tlie Trichoptera included, in greater or lesser 

 numbers, Phryganea grandis, Agrypnia Pagetana, Colpotaulius incisus, Orammo- 

 taulius atomarius, Glyphotcelius pellucidus, Limnophilus rhombicus, L. flavicornis, 

 Leptocerus senilis, L. aterrimus, and Holocentropus dubius. — Geo. T. Porritt, 

 Huddersfield : Juli/ Uh, 1890. 



Destruction of Tceniocampa populeti larvce by starlings. — On the 6th of this 

 month Capt. Robertson and I went to get some larva; of populeti from some low 

 trees of Populus tremula which were covered with that species. Capt. Eobertson 

 had picked off about 100 larvae the night before ; but this morning when we arrived 

 at the trees, we found some starlings had also discovered the caterpillars, and had 

 gone over the trees systematically from branch to bi'anch, pecking a hole in one side 

 of the spun together leaves, and drawing out the caterpillar, and so nearly had they 

 cleared them all off, that we had much trouble to find a dozen. We caught the 

 birds in the act, and although they had so nearly finished their feast they were very 

 unwilling to go, and loudly objected to our disturbing them. — W. Holland, 111, 

 Southampton Street, Eeading : June 2\st, 1890. 



A concise life-history of Tortrix diversana :^= lransitana. — '\'.\\c eggs of this 

 species are flat, and of a green tint ; in confinement they are laid by the $ in large 

 masses, agglutinated together, similar (except in colour) to those of Tortrix sorbiana. 

 The eggs hatch in August, and the larva hibernates small. In the spring the larva 

 curls up the leaves of the bircli, feeding and turning to pupa within ; it is full-fed 



* This is an interesting capturo, proving that P. tenellum occurs furtlier north in England 

 than was suspected, and that it is not confined to heathy districts.— R. McL. 



