Insects. 2931 



grass near a bed of Euphorbia Paralias, and not far from a large quantity of Euphor- 

 bia Portlandica. — C. S. Gregson; 107, St. James's Street, Liverpool, September 

 20, 1850. 



Economy of Zeuzera Arundinis. — This rare insect I have found rather abundant 

 this year at Home Fen, near Yaxley, in Huntingdonshire: and as I was on the spot, 

 sometimes day and night, for five weeks, and had good opportunity for observing the 

 economy of this insect in its various changes, I can vouch for the accuracy of the 

 following statements. The caterpillar feeds in the common reed (Arundo Phrag- 

 mites), the perfect insect appearing in June ; but all do not change simultaneously, 

 some appearing at the beginning, others near the end of the month. When near 

 changing the chrysalis becomes perceptibly restless, as remarked by one or two gentle- 

 men in the August Number of the 'Zoologist:' they do not move in a spiral manner, but 

 by a quick undulating motion of their elongated body. When about to change, the 

 chrysalis works some distance up the reed till it arrives at a part not eaten out by the 

 larva ; there, with the head part of the chrysalis, they break through the outer skin of 

 the reed and then crawl up to dry. When evening draws to a close the females are 

 quickly joined by the males : the time of changing in most cases is from four to eight 

 o'clock in the afternoon, or as the sun begins to decline: I have bred them and taken 

 them on the fens just out at that time of day. Mr. Doubleday states that their time 

 of changing is ten at night ; this I cannot account for, unless they were affected by 

 his keeping them in a different temperature. They remain in copula all the next day 

 and until the following evening, that is if the black-headed bunting (Emberiza Schce- 

 niclusj permits them ; for those birds, nesting as they do on reeds in large numbers, 

 destroy the moths as soon as they make their appearance, the elongated body of the 

 insect being well adapted to the swallow of the young birds. The female then takes her 

 flight, flying near the ground, to select some reed on which to deposit her eggs, only 

 one being deposited on a stem: I never found two larva in one reed. The egg is 

 fixed end-ways by a strong glutinous excretion, it is of a pale yellow colour, long and 

 cylindrical. When hatched, the head of the larva being placed near the reed, it finds 

 no difficulty in eating through the soft green plant : they feed at the lower part be- 

 neath the ground on the pith : they feed upwards, by which means the chrysalis has 

 free access to the whole length of the reed, and has but slight work to break through 

 the upper or thin part of the reed. The perfect insect is very short lived, in no case 

 exceeding eight or nine days. I expect they will not be found in this locality any 

 longer, as it is intended to burn the reeds and bring the land into cultivation. — If. J. 

 Harding; 1, York Street, Shoreditch. 



[This insect appears to differ essentially from Zeuzera in the general habit, an- 

 tennae and neuration of wings : entertaining a similar view, Duponchel has given it 

 the generic name of Macrogaster, but as that appellation was previously applied to a 

 genus of Libellulida?, it cannot suitably stand, and I would venture to suggest that of 

 PhkagmatjEcia, in allusion to its economy : a comparison of Phragmatsecia Arundinis 

 with several Nonagriae will disclose affinities which our systematic arrangements have 

 not hitherto indicated. — E. 2V.] 



Capture of Hydrmcia Petasitis near Manchester. — I have succeeded in breeding 

 Hydraecia Petasitis from larva? taken from the roots of Petasites vulgaris : the perfect 

 insect appears at the end of August and during September. I believe this is the first 

 time the insect has been bred in this country. Now that its economy is known we 

 must not allow this insect any longer to be regarded as rare : it is plentiful in the larva 



