Insects. 7153 



Habits of Mucrogloxxa. stellatarum. — I was much interested, the other day, in 

 watchinpf a fem;ile of the above species depositing her e;?ss ; the locality she 

 selected was a high bank on the road-side. My attention was first directed to her 

 movements by a loud humming uoise. She flew in and out of the herbage in a very 

 busy manner, occasionally alightinq; for a moment, and then ofiF again. I immediately 

 suspected that she was depositing her eggs, and upon careful examination found that 

 such was the fact: by following her about I soon succeeded in obtaining a small 

 quantity. I am unfortunately no botanist, and cannot therefore give the scientific 

 name of the plant she selected, but it will probably be known to most of your readers 

 as " robin-run-the-hedge." I was not aware that the larva fed on this plant. Nothing 

 could be more interesting than to watch the unerring instinct with which she picked 

 out the right plant from the quantity of herbage covering the bank. It was very dif- 

 ficult to follow her motions : the whole operation was like a flash of lightning. — 

 Joseph Greene ; Ringwood, Hants. 



Abundant occurrence of Scsia Muscceformis P near Torquay. — Scarcely any of my 

 readers are old enough as entomologists to recollect that twenty-eight years ago I 

 published, in the ' Entomological Magazine,' a little Monograph of the Species of 

 Sesia found in England, and that I added to the usual list two species, with descrip- 

 tions from single specimens. One of them appeared under the name Muscaeformis, 

 from a single specimen taken a few miles from Torquay, and at that time in the 

 hands of the late James Francis Stephens. This insect has been taken in abundance 

 during the present summer on the Devonshire coast, settling on the blossoms of the 

 wild thyme, at a distance of about fifteen miles from Torquay. With regard to the 

 name some little diff'erence of opinion appears to prevail: the names of Tenthredi- 

 formis, Hylaeiformis, Sapygiformis (J. J. Keading), Philanthiformis (G. King), and 

 Braconiformis (G. Wailes), have been very confidently applied. I am not certain of 

 the authorities for these names or of their dates : my name of Muscaeformis dates from 

 Esper, 1777, but it is also described in a work quoted by Treitschke and others under 

 the name of ' Vieweg. Tab, Verz.,' with which I am unacquainted; the description is 

 referred to as at vol. i. p. 18, species 9. Owing probably to the somewhat unskilful 

 mode in which these insects have been captured there are none in sufiiciently good 

 condition for me to draw up a very precise description at present ; I may, however, 

 remark that the number of pale rings on the abdomen is three only, instead of five : 

 the margin of every abdominal segment is glittering and appears pale, but I am con- 

 vinced would not be so in perfect specimens : the indistinct whitish annulus on the 

 antennae of the female distinguishes this from all cognate species. — E. Newman. 



Food-plant of the Larva of Eupithecia ruffasciata. — In addition to to the food- 

 plants mentioned by the Kevs. J. Hellins and Crewe of the larva of this species I may 

 name the common broom. I do not, however, think that this is its favourite pabulum. 

 Being at the time ignorant of the species, I searched diligently, but could only find 

 about a dozen, all of which were on a single plant. I discovered two or three pupae 

 spun up in the leaves.— J. Greene ; Ringwood, Hants, August 10, 1860. 



Dicranura bicuspis. — On the 20lh of June I went out for a day's entomologizing; 

 when I had fairly gained the hunting-ground where I intended to commence 

 operations the rain began to come down in torrents, so of course I concluded that to 

 make the best of my way back was my wisest course, and commenced my retreat 

 accordingly ; but in turning to shelter under some alders I was both surprised and 

 delighted to see a beautiful specimen of a male Dicranura bicuspis sitting on the 

 XVIII. 3 A 



