382 The Diamond-hack Moth. By George Bolam. 



of the present subject, although, no doubt, only a curious coincidence. In 

 1888 the larvae of the Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) appeared, in 

 unusual numbers, upon some young poplar trees, in the neighboarhood of 

 Berwick, and from a number of them, which I then brought home, a good 

 series of the moth was reared during the following summer. Some of the 

 pupae however,which had either died in their cocoons, or not come ont,were 

 allowed to remain in the breeding cage, and on the 18th July 1891, I was 

 rather surprised to find that a fine and perfect imago had emerged from 

 one of them, having thus spent three years in the pupa. But the most 

 curious part of the thing was, that although since 1888, no more of the 

 Ziczac caterpillars had been noticed upon the trees in question, they were 

 last year again abundant. 



Coming to the attack of last year, the damage done to crops would seem 

 to have been greater than anything previously experienced, as the infested 

 area would also appear to have been larger ; but it may be a question 

 whether this is not, in some measure, accounted for by the closer attention 

 now paid to such subjects, and the means adopted for collecting more 

 accurate information concerning them. Be that as it may, however, it is 

 beyond doubt that the destruction to turnips last year was very great, and 

 ranged along almost the entire east side of Britain, from Dover to the north 

 of Scotland, while several farms further inland, and npon the west coast, 

 were also affected, including the island of Islay, and some stations in 

 Ireland. In our own immediate district mach loss occurred, swedes as a 

 rule suffering more than white turnips, though the reverse seems rather to 

 have been the case elsewhere, for we find, that of a twenty-five acre field, 

 in Lincolnshire, eleven acres of whites were entirely destroyed, while the 

 remainder of the field, being in swedes, was left untouched.* Cabbages 

 also suffered severely, and in gardens, in some places, wallflowers were 

 completely eaten up. Runchea and Wild Mustard {Raphanus rnphanisfnim, 

 and Sinapis arvensisf) were resorted to perhaps only where better food was 

 not forthcoming, but in some localities they were mach eaten; and in 

 August I noticed that there were some of the larvae feeding upon the Wall 

 Rocket (Sinapis tenuifoJia) which still grows plentifully upon that part of 

 the old Town walls of Berwick known as the Brass Mount. 



Unfortunately, though perhaps not unnaturally, the attack came upon 

 the turnips, at a time when, from lack of moisture, they were almost 

 stagnant ingrowth, and were of course, in just the worst possible state for 

 withstanding its effects. In many fields, the plants quickly disappeared, 

 leaves, roots, and all, leaving the ground perfectly bare, and as if no crop 

 had been sown ; but in more favoured localities, or where growth was 

 stimulated by artificial means, they struggled on, and though almost 

 stripped of foliage, and presenting a most wretched and withered appear- 



* Mr Arkle's paper in the " Entomologist," already referred to, p. 259. 



t [In the garden the foliage of the following Cruciferse was holed by the 

 larvae: Cardamine rotandifolia, Adyseton saxatile (Grold Dust), Lepidium 

 latifolium, Lunaria biennis (Honesty), and a few others. — J.H.] 



