1S87.] 101 



" In searching for oat galls yesterday I found the enclosed on the branches, 

 mostly on or near the terminal bud of last year, that is, at the base of this year's 

 growth, and they were on one tree only, as far as I could see. I opened one, and it 

 appeared to be a mass of eggs, and I found some Hymenopterous larva feeding 

 thereon." 



About the middle of July a quantity of the larvfe of the Lecanium 

 came out and moved rapidly about, and at the same time a few of the 

 parasites appeared in the imago state ; they are most probably JBIasfo- 

 tlirix sericea, Dalm., a species of Encyrtidce obtained by Dalman from 

 his Coccus gibber {cf. infra) . 



(To he continued) . 



SPHINX CONVOLrULI IN NOEFOLK, IN 1887. 

 BT CHAS. G. BABEETT, P.E.S. 



"When visiting Mr. Norgate at Dowuham last spring, I was 

 greatly interested by his account of the extreme partiality shown 

 by the larger hawk-moths for the flowers of JS'icotiana affinis (white 

 tobacco). He had seen several Sphinx convolviiU at one time flying 

 round it in his own garden. 



I had never seen that grand moth on the wing, nor did I possess 

 a decent series, so took care to secure a nice lot of young plants of 

 Nicotiana affinis, and get them forward by the time that all risk of 

 night frosts was over. They ■nere then planted in two rows at the 

 back of beds of petunia and verbena respectively, and soon came into 

 flower, so as to form, with their abundant opaque-white blossoms, a 

 very effective background to these beds in the evening— though it 

 must be confessed that in the day-time they were not equally pleasing, 

 from a curious habit of closing many of their blossoms, and exhibiting 

 only the dusky backs of the petals. Their perfume at night was 

 delightful, and for the special purpose for which they were planted 

 they must be pronounced an immense success. 



On August 22nd, we were delighted by a sight of the first Sphinx 

 convolvuli — excessively wild and shy. It was not then captured, nor 

 on the following evening, when it (or another) appeared, but after- 

 wards we had better success. From that time until last Friday 

 (September 9th) specimens were seen almost every evening, and 

 generally secured, and the total taken by my boys and myself exceeds 

 a score. At the same time we hear of specimens taken in all 

 directions : at rest in the day-time, or rushing wildly into houses at 

 night, attracted by the lights or the flowers, and causing a desperate 



