850 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD. 
SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
Tur cry of AcHERONTIA ATROPOS.—Professor Poulton informs me 
that with the aid of a stethoscope (for both ears) ending in a fine tube 
he was able at once to locate the sound produced by Acherontia atropos. 
When the tube is placed against the part from whence the cry comes, 
one is deafened by sound, anywhere else over the body it is very faint. 
He adds that the noise is produced by air blown into the proboscis 
from a cavity in the head which opens by a fine aperture into its base. 
Hence the sound is still made, though fainter and different, when the 
proboscis is cut off. Professor Poulton, after he had used his stetho- 
scope, read H. N. Moseley’s paper on the subject (Nature, v1., pp. 131- 
153), and found that the conclusions arrived at were identical with 
hisown. Isee this has beena great year for A. atropos. I may mention 
that the larvee were very common on potato at Carlton Colville this sum- 
mer.—Horace Dontstuorps, I’.Z.8., F.H.S., 58, Kensington Mansions, 
South Kensington, S.W. 
PRODENIA ORNITHOGALLI, GUEN., BRED IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE.—A friend. 
near here sent me on July 5th last, a Noctuid larva, much like that of 
Mamestra brassicae. It was found in a case of bananas (probably from 
the West Indies). On July 12th, after eating a little dandelion leaf, 
it commenced spinning a shght cocoon among the leaves, and on 
August 13th a finely-marked Noctuid emerged, different from anything 
I had previously seen. The moth proves to be P. ornithoygalli, Gn. 
—C. J. Warxins, F.E.S., Kine’s Mill House, Painswick, Gloucester. 
October 8th, 1900. 
ASSEMBLING SMERINTHUS OCELLATUS, ETC.—-The males of Smerinthus 
ocellatus are attracted very readily. On one evening last summer I had 
three or four females emerge in an outside cage, when a male flew in at 
the window. Requiring a male to pair with the females I went to the 
cage and found quite a score of males trying to get into it; this was at 
1.30 am. I had no trouble in selecting a dozen of these with my 
fingers. Next evening I isolated several females and found that though 
there was no male attracted by midnight, and only two by 1 a.m., yet, 
between the latter time and 1.45 a.m., they arrived very rapidly, and I 
took many, most, however, in poor order. I obtained males of Sphina 
ligustv’ in the same way, as well as males of many other species— 
Notodonta ziczac, Ptilodonta palpina, Smerinthus tiliae, Cerura vinula, 
Amplidasys betularia, many, and it was remarkable that from 1 a.m.- 
1.80 a.m. seemed to be the time usually selected for pairing.—L. W. 
Newman, 41, Salisbury Road, Bexley, Kent. October 80th, 1900. 
NZ ARIATION. 
PoEcILOCAMPA POPULI WITHOUT BASAL MARKS.—A specimen of Poecilo- 
campa populi appeared to-day without a basal transverse yellow band, 
although the other transverse line is very distinct, and the fringe very 
distinctly chequered.—(Mrs.) M. H. Cow, Aberceri, Spencer Park, 
Wandsworth Common. November 1st, 1900. 
CHANGE OF COLOUR IN PUPA OF APATURA IRIS JUST BEFORE 
EMERGENCE.—Referring to Mr. Russell’s note (antea, p. 294), I may say 
that I have for several years bred Apatura iris from larve taken in the 
New Forest, and have found it to be the invariable rule that the pup 
turn to purplish-blue colour a day or two before emergence. The 
