NOTES ON LIFE-HISTORIES, LARVA, ETC. 109 
v are a short distance beneath, iv first sub. and v sub. and very slightly 
‘free. The hairs and tubércles being similar to i and 11 but the hairs 
being less curved are more upright. ‘wo marginal tubercles, each 
bearing one hair, are present, and on segments that bear prolegs, they 
are situated on the base of prolegs. Both true legs and prolegs are large 
and strong, the latter have a curved row of eight or nine hooks on the 
inner side only [Described December 10th, 1899, from larva pre- 
served in spirit}.—A. Bacor. 
Forcing Porruerria pispaR AND LyManrrIaA MoNnAcHA Ova.—On 
December 18th, 1899, I placed about 300 ova of Porthetria dispar in a 
chip box and kept them on the mantelpiece in a room where there was 
a good fire all day. In little more than a fortnight the larve began to 
appear, about a dozen ova hatching on January 8rd, 1900. It was 
- rather difficult to know upon what to feed the young larve at this time 
of the year, but after trying fir and most of the plants now to be found 
in gardens, they settled down to the leaves of Campanula trachelium 
(Canterbury Bell), on which they are feeding well. By January 15th 
all 8300 eggs had hatched, while many of those larvee which had made 
their appearance first were on that date undergoing their first change, 
several on the 19th appearing in their new skin. I am also attempting 
to force ova of Lymantria monacha, but at the time of writing they 
have not hatched, though I began forcing them on December 80th last. 
It is rather curious* to note that while it has taken only fifteen days to 
hatch out ova of P. dispar, the L. monacha ova under exactly the same 
conditions have not yet hatched (February 5th), a period of 87 days. 
I think the reason may be that the heat was too great sometimes and 
they have become dried up. I hope, though, that they will yet hatch. 
As L. monacha is known to feed on fir, I thought it very possible P. 
dispar, its near relative, would hkewise do so. Ido not know if this 
latter insect has ever been induced to feed on fir. My attempt was 
quite unsuccessful. On February 3rd many of the larve began their 
second moult, while some were no bigger than when newly hatched.— 
C. B. Antram, Croydon. Lrebruary 5th, 1900. 
Fooppiants oF CaLLimorPHA HERA.—I have about 150 larve of C. 
hera (Devonshire), and find they feed well in captivity on Campanula 
trachelium, which I can get more easily than groundsel, plantain, white 
dead-nettle, &¢.—C. B. Anrram. february 5th, 1900. 
* Is this really curious? P. dispar is, so far as the evidence goes, almost ¢cer- 
~ tainly an introduced species, with more or less south European habits of hyberna- 
tion, whilst L. monacha is a bond fide Britisher, with very different notions of 
hybernation.—Ep. 
GYURRENT NOTES. 
The City of London Entomological and Natural History Society 
will hold a conversazione and exhibition of entomological and other 
natural history specimens, &c., at the London Institution, Finsbury 
Circus, £..C., on Tuesday, April 24th, 1900. Tickets (1s. each) (must 
be previously obtained) from the Hall Porter of the Institution, 
Finsbury Circus, or from the Secretary of the Society, S. J. Bell, 150, 
Stockwell Park Road, Brixton, 8.W. Doors open at 7.80 p.m. 
Our readers will learn with regret of the death of the celebrated 
M icro-lepidopterist Dr. O. Hofmann, which took place on February 22nd. 
