TO COERESPONDENTS. 



Francis Hancock Balkwill, Plymouth. — The insect is Sirex Gfigas : this 

 reply I trust will be accepted by eight other correspondents who have sent 

 similar insects. The following is a short but sufficient description : — 

 Length rather more than an inch ; wings four, transparent, and folded flat 

 on the back ; antennae and legs yellow ; head black, with a blotch of bright 

 yellow behind the eye ; thorax black ; first two segments of the body 

 yellow, four following segments black, the rest yellow ; the body terminates 

 in a flattened serrated spine, and beneath this is a longer ovipositor. 

 Appears to be unusually common this year. The larva feeds on the solid 

 wood of firs, and does an almost incredible amount of injury to the 

 timber. 



J. Fowler, Woodford. — The armlet of eggs is laid by Bombyx neustria 

 (the lackey moth) ; the eggs at the summit of long hairs are laid by a lace- 

 winged fly with golden eyes (Chrysopa Perla) : when the larvae are hatched 

 from these eggs they feed on the aphides or plant-lice which infest rose- 

 leaves, and hence it has been called the aphis-lion. 



William Hutcheson, Wimhorne. — The caterpillar eating the carrots is 

 that of the turnip-moth (Agrotis Segetum) ; its life-history is given at 

 length at p. 3S0 of Newman's 'Illustrated Natural History of British 

 Moths.' 



Walter Adamson. — The insect sent is the female of a very common gnat 

 (Culex pipiens) : there is no doubt that it has caused the injury of which 

 you complain — swellings on the hands and face. Many similar inquiries 

 have reached me. Correspondents will kindly take this as a reply. 



Satyriis Semele. — I shall be extremely obliged for specim3ns of the 

 common grayling, set so as to show the under side : they are wanted to 

 figure in the ' Illustrated Natural History of British Butterflies.' 



J. C. Dale. — Please accept my best thanks for the information about 

 Doritis Apollo. Although I can see no physical or geographical reason 

 why it should not occur on the Scottish Alps, I think there is no sufficient 

 evidence that this is the case. 



JoJm Thorpe. — In the communication published at page 143 of the 

 August number, on the subject of Acherontia Atropos, the word " broom " 

 has been inadvertently printed for " bran." 



William Wells, jun. — The mistake in the head-line is unfortunate, but 

 immaterial as to the text. The objectionable heading in some numbers of 

 the ' British Moths ' may be remedied by obtaining a later edition of that 

 particular number : it has been repeatedly reprinted. Please write to the 

 publisher or your own bookseller on the subject. 



Alfred Pickard. — I will insert any note you incline to send on the 

 subject of lost boxes, but cannot write it myself. I never exchange, and 

 know nothing of the losses of which you complain. 



A. Harcourt. — The moths are certainly only Strenia clathrata. 



T. Calderhank. — There is no charge for exchange lists. 



W. L. Horley. — The moths are Xylophasia hepatica, Mamestra abjecta, 

 Noctua xanthographa, and Apamea oculea. 



Exchange. — All Exchange Lists must be signed. 



PJdward Newman. 



