﻿36 f June » 



Do birds eat the larvce of Cucullia ? — A paper was read on the 1st March, at 

 the Meeting of the Entomological Society of London, " on the relations between 

 Insects and Insectivorous birds," by Mr. J. Jenner Weir. 



This paper broaches a theory founded on certain experiments by Mr. Weir, 

 which theory is so opposed to what I have observed to take place in Nature that I 

 must suppose either that the birds upon which he made his experiments reject, in 

 confinement, food which they would partake of if at liberty, or that some birds will 

 eat certain larvae which may be distasteful to others. 



I will simply refer to his theory of coloured larvae, as instanced by the genus 

 Cucullia, being rejected by birds. 



I have for many years grown Verbascum thapsus, the food-plant of Cucullia 

 verbasci, as well as several other food-plants of the genus, in my garden, to attract 

 the moths. 



I have some years had hundreds of larvae of C. verbasci which fed up to a 

 certain size, but as soon as they begin to show colour and size, and appear on the 

 upper side of the leaves and on the stems to partake of the flowers, down come the 

 birds and off go the larvae. 



The same thing has happened with Cucullia absinthii, much to my annoyance 



I therefore cannot feel so satisfied as Mr. Weir expresses himself to be, that 

 " as a general rule birds refuse to eat gaily coloured larvae." — H. D'Orville, 

 Alphington, May 4th, 1869. 



Capture of Deilephila lineata at Folkestone. — A good specimen of D. lineata 

 was brought to me on the 7th inst. A boy found it at rest on the grass in " the 

 Warren." — Henry Ullyett, Folkestone, May lOth, 1869. 



Deilephila lineata in Gloucestershire. — The other day the remains of a large 

 moth were brought to me, which I had not much difficulty in determining as D. 

 lineata. It was taken last aututon at Great Eisington, about four miles from this 

 place, and when caught was in first-rate condition. It was in the school-room 

 window of the clergyman's house, and a bird was pecking at it from the outside. 

 When brought to me, the remains consisted of a portion of the body, and one hind- 

 wing and a half! — E. Hallett Todd, Aldsworth, Gloucestershire, April, 1869. 



Note on Eriogaster lanestris. — In the summer of 1866 I had larvae of this insect, 

 about 100 of which went to pupae. The dates at which they have emerged are 

 worth noting :— 1867, first moth on February 2nd ; 1868, February 20th ; 1869, 

 April 6th! There are some yet in pupa; when may they be expected next 

 year ? — Id. 



Sericoris euphorbiana bred. — This morning, on looking into my breeding-cage, 

 I was pleased to find that a fine specimen of this species had emerged from a 

 pupa obtained from larvae collected by me at Folkestone, in September last. — 

 Howard Vaughan, Kentish Town, 3rd April, 1869. 



Nyssia hispidaria at Hampstead. —A few weeks ago I captured a large male of 

 N. hispidaria on a fence at Hampstead, where I have often searched for that 

 species without success. — Id. 



