1986 Insects. 



aurago, Agrotis sufFusa, Lemuris typica, &c, &c. — /. B. Elhnan ; Battel, October 

 4th, 1847. 



Occurrence of Gastropacha quercifolia at Battel. — On the 15th of June, this insect 

 suddenly appeared in the town in tolerable quantity, at dusk. Several were caught 

 and brought to me ; I never heard of their being seen afterwards, though I was 

 on the look out every evening for more than a week. — James B. Ellman, Battel, Octo- 

 ber 4th, 1847. 



Occurrence of Calocampa vetusta near Huddersfield. — Calocampa vetusta has again 

 made its appearance in the neighbourhood of Huddersfield. It was attracted to the 

 sugar on the evening of the 9th of October. The caterpillar of this autumnal visitant 

 is stated to feed on the genus Carex. Westwood figures it on C. Vahlii, an Alpine 

 species, met with on the Clova mountains and other Scottish ranges. Now as this 

 Carex is necessarily restricted as to locality, it is evident the caterpillar must find other 

 nutriment. In these parts we have an unusual abundance of the commoner kinds, 

 such as C. praecox, panicea, vulpina, flava, &c. The question is, on which of these 

 does it feed, or does it feed indiscriminately on them all ? If any of the contributors 

 to the ' Zoologist ' could state which of the commoner species supply food to the 

 caterpillar, I doubt not, by a little attention to the herbage growing near such spots as 

 are likely to furnish the perfect insect, it might be found by no means so local or so 

 uncommon as is generally supposed. — Peter Inchbald ; Storthes Hall, Huddersfield, 

 October 9th, 1847. 



Capture of Calocampa vetusta at Carron.—I fancy Calocampa vetusta will no longer 

 be considered a scarce insect; upwards of one hundred specimens were taken by my- 

 self and two friends in five nights, from the 21st to 25th of September, at Carron, 

 N. B. — H. T. Stainton ; Mountsfield, Lewisham. 



Difficulty of rearing Plusia Iota from the Larva. — Mr. Henry Doubleday informs 

 me that it is impossible to rear this moth from the caterpillars, one of which he sent 

 me, and having bred two specimens of Tachina modesta from it, I appreheud the 

 failure is caused by this parasitic fly. — J. Curtis; Hayes, near Uxbridge, November 

 30th, 1847. 



Description of Microsetia quinquella, a new species of Moth of the family Tineadce. — 

 Expansion of wings 2 — 2| lines ; anterior wings deep black, with the base and three 



spots silvery -white ; one placed towards the 

 posterior angle of the inner margin, another 

 on the costa near the base, and a third some- 

 what central near the apex ; cilia silvery ; 

 posterior wings and cilia dusky ; head black. 

 It bears some resemblance to subbimaculella. 

 I found this beautiful and very distinct species 

 in considerable plenty on the trunks of oaks in 

 the heath- field at West Wickham, on the 30th 

 of June last. — George Bedell; 4, Waterloo Place, Coburg Road, Dec. I6lh, 1847. 



Correction respecting Margaritia margaritalis. — In the list of my captures which you 

 kindly inserted in the last number of the 'Zoologist,' I stated that I had captured 

 three specimens of Margaritia margaritalis ; Mr. H. Doubleday has since had the good- 

 ness to examine one of these species, and he informs me that the species is Margaritia 

 cinctalis and not the true margaritalis, which has a ferruginous tip to the wing. I 



