TfiE ENTOMOLOGIST. S57 



to you. This year I have bred a female S. Ligustri, and not 

 wanting her as a specimen I allowed her to remain in the 

 breeding-cage for some days, during which she laid many 

 eggs on the net covering the cage. I thought, of course, 

 that they would be unfruitful ; but, much to my surprise, 

 after a time young caterpillars began to make their appear- 

 ance ; and although the eggs were all laid during one night, 

 they continued to emerge from the 2nd to the 6th of July. I 

 have now nearly fifty of them ; they have grown already to 

 nearly three times their size when they were born. Being 

 certain that a male was never near the female that produced 

 the eggs, I am quite at a loss to know how and when the eggs 

 could have been fertilized ; in fact 1 am perfectly puzzled to 

 account for it in any way. If you are in want of any of the 

 larvae send a box, and you shall have them. — Stephen Clogg ; 

 East Looe^ July 12, 1871. 



In the first line of p. 12 of my * Essay on the Employment 

 of Physiological Characters,' in classification, I have noticed 

 that a similar fact to that mentioned by Mr. Clogg has 

 already been recorded. In addition to Sphinx Ligustri I 

 have enumerated twenty-five well-known Lepidoptera, in 

 which perfect agamogenesis has been observed. I am much 

 obliged for the offer of specimens, but shall be still more so 

 if Mr. Clogg will himself continue to observe them, and 

 report the result. 



Egg Parasite, — The inclosed letter will explain the nature 

 of the (to me) remarkable curiosity contained in the quill. 

 Can you tell me the name of the parasite ? T shall feel 

 obliged if, in the next number of" the ' Entomologist,' you 

 will record this, with any remarks of your own. No such 

 case has ever occurred to me. — " Having just read the 

 ' Insect-Hunter's Companion,' and seeing that at p. 41 you 

 say that you have heard of eggs being stung, I send you an 

 example. I found the inclosed egg on poplar, about June 

 20th; and to-day, at five minutes to 2 p.m., I happened to 

 look at it, and observed a very small hole in it. This I hoped 

 would prove to be the caterpillar; but, to my disgust, in 

 about three minutes a small insect emerged, and a few 

 minutes after another ; one or two are in the quill with the 

 egg^ I believe. If yon could kindly tell me what sort of egg 

 it was when laid, 1 shall be much obliged. Last year I found 



