PRACTICAL HINTS. 49 
flying about the timber at noon. This is the last note I have of them 
in 1898. In 1899 I saw the first flying over the timber at midday, 
May 11th, and observed specimens nearly every day up to and includ- 
ing June 8th. These beautiful little moths fly chiefly in the warmer 
part of the day, about noon, but I have seen them on the wing as early 
-as 9.15 a.m. AsI have found them quite early in the morning in 
water collected on the tops of casks, with Tortricids and Tineids, where 
there were none the previous day, I think they must have a period of 
flight during the dark hours. On dull days they are sluggish and apt 
to seek shelter, as on May 25th, when a cold east wind was blowing. 
IT could then find none though I saw two on the 24th and two on the 
26th. I obsefved the moths pairing on May 23rd, at 11.0 a.m., and 
boxed the pair with a small piece of the timber. The female did not 
lay any eggs till three days after when she deposited about a dozen, 
pushing them into the pores of the wood. On May 29th I saw another 
pair tm cop., and a third on June Ist, soon after 8.0a.m. This last 
pair I observed at intervals without disturbing them. The female 
began to deposit her ova between noon and 1.0 p.m., walking about 
the timber to find suitable points. She inserted the ovipositor, which 
was protruded 8mm., into the cells of the wood at the end of a beam 
where it had been sawn across the grain, and also under the dust which 
lay in places on the surface of the wood. I discovered two ova imme- 
diately after she had laid them in the dust, anda third one three parts 
embedded at a point where she had previously been. The ova were laid 
singly, but those that were laid by the captured female were in clusters, 
no doubt owing to the small piece of wood provided. The ova appeared 
large for the size of the moth, somewhat cylindrical, but with the ends 
rounded off beautifully, though rather irregularly pitted over the 
surface, and of a very pale ochreous colour. In some cases, where 
they were thrust deeply into the wood, their shape was much modified. 
Six days after the ova were laid by the captured female they became 
deeper in tint, and hatched after another ten days—sixteen days in all. 
The young larve were very active, almost white, with a dark head, and 
furnished with exceptionally long stiff hairs in the lateral areas. As I 
was too occupied to attempt to rear the larve I set them free on the 
old timber.—A. Sicu, F.E.S., Brentwood, Barrowgate Road, Chis- 
wick. 
ECORACTICAL HINTS. 
Field Work for February and March. 
By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 
1.—The twigs of currant bushes (cut the previous year) should be 
overhauled in February and March for the larvee of Sesia tipuliformis. 
2.—The imagines of Hybernia marginarta are to be found after dark 
sitting on the bare twigs of hedges and the bushes in woods—hazel and 
hawthorn appear to be preferred. 
3.—A quantity of the common round oak-galls should be collected 
in March. ‘They will contain the pup of Coccyx splendidulana, &c., 
the larvee of many species spinning up in them. 
4.—In March the imago of Nyssia zonaria is to be found resting on 
the bare sand on the sandhills of the Lancashire coasts. It emerges 
from the pupa about 3.0 p.m. (Birchall). 
