3100 Inserts. 



But the characters of his divisions called " Coitus " are in many instances drawn 

 solely from colour and markings, and consequently species differing entirely in struc- 

 ture are brought together. The characters given of Rhyparia are " Wings covered 

 with drop-shaped spots,' 7 and Hiibner includes in this Coitus, Grossularia and Mela- 

 naria only, two species as dissimilar as possible, the former with simple, the latter 

 with strongly pectinated antennae, in fact a true Fidonia ; while Ulmaria is placed in 

 Coitus Calospilos, and Coitus Panthera interposed between. Bombyx Coryli (Linn.) 

 is placed in Coitus Colocasia along with Noctua Scoriacea of Esper, a species closely 

 allied to Viminalis, and the green smooth larva of which resides in curled sallow- 

 leaves, and this Coitus is interposed between Acronycta, containing one species, Le- 

 porina, and Pharetra, containing two species, Auricoma and Menyanthidis. In 

 many cases where Mr. Stephens has adopted Hiibner's names for genera, the species 

 included give no idea of the original group. I will confine myself to the Pyrales ; 

 take the genus Mesographe, in the Museum Catalogue, it contains but one species, 

 forficalis ; but Hiibner includes seven species in that Coitus, of which forficalis is the 

 fifth : and why this is picked out to bear the name alone T do not know ; it might 

 with as much justice be applied to Asinalis, the last of these seven discordant species. 

 The same remarks apply to Epicorsia and several other genera. — Henry Doubleday ; 

 Epping, March 18, 1851. 



Descriptions of Larvce of Sphingides, ivith occasional Notes on some of the rarer 

 European Species. — Having had the opportunity of rearing many of the European 

 Sphingides, and remarking the varieties in the larvae of some species, T will insert a 

 few lines concerning them in this publication, thinking they may be interesting to 

 some of our entomologists. Dr. Boisduval divides them into six genera, Macroglossa, 

 Pterogon, Deilephila, Sphinx, Acherontia and Smerinthus. The first of these, the 

 genus Macroglossa, contains four species, according to him, the first of which is the 

 M. Fuciformis. The larva of this insect is found during the latter end of June and 

 beginning of July, on honeysuckles, such as Lonicera Caprifolium and L. Periclyme- 

 num, &c. I will just here mention, that all the remarks I shall make will hold good 

 for Switzerland, for it is in that country that I reared those I am about to describe. 

 The larva is elongated and covered with small tuberculous spots, which give it a 

 rough or granulated appearance: when full grown, about two inches in length, of a 

 bright green colour, speckled with pale yellow tuberculous spots, getting lighter on the 

 back ; a darker green dorsal line, and a pale yellow longitudinal line on either side, 

 which terminates at the horn : horn brownish purple and minutely granulated : head 

 round, green, and minutely speckled with whitish green; mandibles light brown: 

 abdomen chocolate-colour, or brownish purple or violet: stigmata scarlet: thoracic 

 legs pink, tinged with plum-colour; prolegs brownish violet, tipped with grayish fawn- 

 colour. There is a narrow yellow line just behind the head. The edges of the anus are 

 bordered by a yellow line. When the caterpillar is about to undergo its change into 

 the pupa state, it turns to a deep brownish purple colour. The imago flies about 

 during the day. M. stellatarum : the larva of this insect is found in July, on the 

 Galium Mollugo. It is elongated to about two inches. Head round : anal horn 

 straight: groundcolour bright green, speckled with small white spots: a straw-co- 

 loured lateral line, bordered by dark green : a pale yellowish white longitudinal line, 

 bordered above by darker green on either side of the back, terminating at the base of 

 the horn : a dark green dorsal line, slightly bordered by yellowish green : head green : 

 horn dark purple, tipped with yellow-ochre, and covered with small, black, tubcrcu- 



