Insects. 6815 



Remarks on Bomhyx Quercus and the Variety B. Callunoe of Palmer. — For years past 

 it has been the custom with uortLern collectors in want of this species to visit the 

 Moors and Bogs (called " Mosses " down here) in spring, collect the larvae on heather, 

 and feed them on hawthorn till they assume the pupa stale ; what remain unchanged 

 are thrown away. If a female is bred, she is taken to the Moors or Bogs, and the 

 males are attracted in great numbers. Those pupae which do not come out are kept 

 till the following season ; hence the idea gets abroad, " It is a heather-feeder, two years 

 to come to maturity, and various months given for its appearance in the perfect state." 

 During the last two years I have paid some attention to the subject, as regards the 

 district of Bowdon, which is four miles from Carringion Moss. We have nothing but 

 the Callunse variety in this part. So far from the larva being confined to the heather, 

 it is abundant in the lanes, feeding apparently on almost everything growing in the 

 fences ; to find them in these situations is an arduous task, compared to the heather. 

 In the neighbourhood of the Moors, generally bleak and barren districts, where stone 

 walls occur in lieu of fences, the heather is the only place to find them. The larva 

 taken in spring vary in appearance and also in size : in their later stages they grow 

 with amazing rapidity ; they remain in the cocoon about a month, but others remain 

 till the following season; some of the larvs will continue feeding till August and 

 September, and then go into cocoon. The moths continue on the wing from the end 

 of June iuto August. I think it is very probable that the first moths which make their 

 appearance are those which have passed the winter in the pupa state, and the constant 

 flight of the moths is kept up into August from the present season's cocoons. In the 

 ' Annales Ent, Soc. France, 1858,' is an elaborate communication on this subject by 

 M. Guenee, with figures of the young larvae of B. Quercus and B. Callunae. The diflfer- 

 ence is then very striking, but as they get older the larvae cannot be separated. Your 

 readers who are interested in the subject must refer to the above, being too long for 

 these pages. B. Callunae. is said to vary but little ; it is, in fact, most variable, especially 

 the males : some are very small, others very large ; some deep chocolate, others red- 

 dish brown. I possess a male and female olive-brown ; the basal tawny patch is 

 developed in an extraordinary manner, through all gradations to none at all, the tawny 

 bands assume all sorts of forms, sometimes very broad down to a narrow streak ; others 

 occur, but rarely, without any band at all. The female is not so liable to these extra- 

 ordinary changes ; it is chiefly in the tone of colour, some are very dark and others 

 very light; the largest and darkest females are from the moors. I am indebted to 

 Mr. E. Shepherd for four males of the southern B. Quercus with exceedingly broad 

 tawny bands ; it appears to be an uncommon variety there, and this form in B. Calluna? 

 is rare down here. To Mr. Doubleday I am indebted for specimens of B, Quercus 

 from Epping; these are small, and appear as if the breed was running out, — unless 

 they migrate northwards the tribe would become extinct : he was kind enough to send 

 me ten larvae this season ; all died in the cocoon, and believe the same fate attended 

 his own. I was desirous of trjing the experiment of taking our males with these 

 southern females, and observing the result of their union ; another season I hope to 

 be more successful. In my opinion we have but a single species {B. Quercus, Liu.), 

 whose head-quarters are the Moors and Mosses of the North. From the end of June 

 into August the males fly with amazing vigour in search of the females. In the highly 

 cultivated districts, like Bowdon, where fences, lanes, &c., occur, we have not the same 

 opportunity of observing their numbers on the wing, unless we attract them with a 



