1 140 Insects. 



once took the alarm, and quickly diverged in every direction through the web ; but as 

 soon as I again withdrew my hand, they began to close together, until they became as 

 densely heaped as before. My first impression was, that they might be the young of 

 some species newly hatched, an idea which was quickly dispelled, when the man who 

 accompanied me called out he had found another hive, about forty yards distant, and 

 shortly a third, similarly circumstanced in every way. I had consequently no longer 

 a doubt of their being a distinct species, having the gregarious habit I have attempted 

 to describe, and perhaps well known to you and some others of the able contributors to 

 ' The Zoologist/ My next puzzle was (knowing the spiders to be carnivorous crea- 

 tures) how so great a mass together could procure food ; but although I watched ear- 

 nestly, expecting to inform myself on this important point, I could not observe them 

 either capturing prey or feeding in any way. Permit me, in conclusion, to ask, is this 

 a well known species ? And do they feed on insects ? — D. Moore ; Glasnevin, Dub- 

 lin, August 12, 1845. 



[I believe the spiders to be just hatched from the eggs, having frequently witnessed 

 similar clusters and similar habits, and having always supposed each cluster to be a 

 family. The fact of newly hatched spiders not exhibiting carnivorous propensities I 

 have long known ; and their rapid increase in size, without any nutriment that I 

 could detect, is an unquestionable and I believe unexplained phenomenon. — Edward 

 Newman]. 



Assembling of Butterflies. At Burcool, on the 10th of April, 1844, 1 observed eight, 

 ten and twelve butterflies, of a rather common species (name unknown), assemble on 

 one particular spot on a road, where the sand was knee-deep. It was possibly the 

 moisture that brought them, and although the space occupied by their heads was not 

 larger than a half-crown, yet I could discover no cause. Day after day did they as- 

 semble here, although I could never see any flying about the coast or sands, and the 

 place of those which I captured with my finger and thumb (so eager did they seem) 

 was never supplied. If moisture was not the source of attraction, what could have 

 brought them thus to assemble?— Charles Home ; Clapham Common, Aug. 27, 1845. 



Larva of Acronycta Alni. On the 11th of August, 1844, while collecting in Head- 

 ley-lane, near Box Hill, a friend (not an entomologist) who had accompanied me, 

 found a larva of Acronycta Alni on a hazel-leaf. He handed it to me, observing, " I 

 suppose this is of no use to you, as I never find anything worth having." Of course, 

 the captive received immediate attention, and I provided it with several kinds of food 

 which I found growing about the spot, out of which it selected birch, and continued to 

 feed for about a week, and then spun up. It did not use for this purpose some rotten 

 wood which I had provided, nor did it gnaw the sides of the cage like the Ceruras, but 

 formed the cocoon out of the fragments of dried leaves &c. I mention this, because 

 I had been informed that without a supply of rotten wood the insect could not be 

 reared. My apprehensions on this point were, however, set at rest, by the appearance 

 of a splendid female on the 28th of May last. — G. Bedell ; 4, Waterloo Place, Coburg 

 Road, August, 1 845. 



Occurrence of Lasiocampa Trifolii near Manchester. I have much pleasure in for- 

 warding to you a paragraph respecting the larva, pupa &c. of Lasiocampa Trifolii. 

 In the month of May last I set off for the coast in search of the above larvae, and after 

 a diligent search of several hours, I succeeded in rinding five small larva and one 



