1006 Insects. 



riety at all, it is of the latter insect. — Robert S. Edleston ; Cheetham Hill, near Man- 

 chester, April 7, 1845. 



Occurrence of Ceropacha octogesima near Cambridge. Last week a pair of this insect 

 came out of chrysalides, one only of which, unfortunately, came to maturity. The 

 chrysalides were found in Madingley woods. — Hamlet Clark ; Cambridge, May 28, 

 1845 



Capture of Ortkosia opima. This insect was first taken here in 1842, in which 

 year I captured two specimens upon sallow-blossoms, and another was taken by Mr. 

 Cook ; we also met with it the two following years, but not in any plenty. We have 

 not seen it this year, although it generally appears from about the 8th to the end of 

 April. — Thomas H. Allis ; York, April 17, 1845. 



Capture of Orthosia congener. This was described by Mr. Westwood as Apamea 

 unanimis. On the 4th and 5th of August, 1841, I captured five worn specimens at 

 Askham bogs, feeding upon the blossoms of the common rush ; and in the following 

 year, I took ten specimens in the same locality, between the 18th of July and the 9th 

 of August. — Id. 



Capture of Pterophorus lithoxylodactylus. For this insect I am indebted to the 

 kindness of the Rev. John Preston, of Doncaster, by whom it was taken. Other spe- 

 cimens have occurred in the same neighbourhood. — Id. 



On Miana striyilis and jEthiops. A great mistake appears to have been made by 

 those persons who suppose M. strigilis to be a variety of M. JEthiops, (Zool. 889). I 

 will give some reasons why it is not. In the neighbourhood of Hackney, for the last 

 twelve years, I have seen and taken numbers of ^thiops, and have bred them from the 

 larva in some quantity, but have never seen one strigilis. Last summer, sugaring 

 among the gardens at Haggerston and Hoxton, iEthiops came in numbers, but none 

 of strigilis. If, then, strigilis is a variety of iEthiops, it is strange that some are not 

 found where jEthiops abounds. The reason is, iEthiops frequents gardens and pas- 

 ture land — strigilis, woods and copses. Again, it will be found that ^Ethiops appears 

 earlier than strigilis. It is a pity that those who have confounded these two species, 

 should not have stated their reasons for considering them one and the same. Have 

 they ever seen iEthiops take strigilis for its mate ? — No. When that takes place, 

 some still stranger varieties will be found. — 77. T. Hardiny ; 1, York St., Church St., 

 Shoreditch. 



Caterpillar of Nyssia Zonaria in Skye. I formerly made a communication re- 

 specting some larva? which were found in the Isle of Skye, by my friend Mr. Cooper, 

 of Preston, (Zool. 686). I saw him last week, and learned that a female Nyssia Zo- 

 naria had come out this spring, from one of the chrysalides that was uninjured. I 

 hinted to Mr. Henry Doubleday what I thought they were. Now it is a question 

 whether Nyssia Zonaria is indigenous to the Hebrides or not ; and those which have 

 been found at New Brighton, Cheshire, have been originally imported thither among 

 wool &c, or rushes that have been used to pack up fish with. My friend informs 

 tne that the larvae were in swarms upon the sand-hills of Bernarah, and several other 

 islands which he visited. — Jas. B. Hodgkinson ; Manchester, May 21, 1845. 



Xerene Rubiginata, frc. In a late number (Zool. 889), your correspondent inclines 

 to the opinion that Xerene plumbata is distinct from rubiginata; I have taken both 

 in this neighbourhood, and consider it merely a dark variety, as specimens occur in- 

 termediate between the two: there is certainly no palpable difference in their flight. 

 If Mr. Hodgkinson had examined the grass, he would have found the disappeared in- 



