3716 Insects. 



Notes respecting Acherontia Atropos. — On the morning of the 6th of August I re- 

 ceived from Thorn gumbald, a village six miles distant, a very fine larva of Acherontia 

 Atropos, which had been found the day before. The person who sent it informed me 

 that if I went over I could probably find plenty more, he having obtained above a do- 

 zen in his own garden a short time before : I therefore lost no time in walking there, 

 anxious to get as many as possible. On arriving at the village, and commencing my 

 search, I found I was unfortunately rather too late, for on examining the potato-plots 

 in the garden where so many had been captured, I perceived they had all gone under 

 ground, nothing but the trimmed plants and enormous sized excrement being visible. 

 The larvae appear to be very stationary in their habits, not roaming about, but remain- 

 ing in a comparatively small space, as appears from the bared branches of the plants 

 and the excrements. I also remarked that they eat very little until within a shout time 

 of their full growth, when from their traces they must feed enormously, and although 

 I searched for the remains of their earlier growths, I was unsuccessful. I afterwards 

 visited some other potato-fields in the neighbourhood, and after some time was fortu- 

 nate enough to find two full-grown larvae. They are exceedingly difficult to discover, 

 and I have little doubt that many were overlooked. The best plan is to cast the eye 

 carefully over the plant until it is arrested by a projecting bare branch, trimmed of its 

 leaves, and on a closer inspection a larva is sure to be found. On my arrival at home 

 I placed my larvae in a breeding-box, with plenty of food : on the 12th they went into 

 the ground. I then removed the box into a fern and orchid stove, being anxious to 

 have the perfect insects this year. On the morning of September 24 I was gladdened 

 by the sight of a splendid specimen, and in a few days more the other appeared. I 

 found the moths very pugnacious, for on disturbing them with my fingers they would 

 exhibit a strong inclination for fighting, striking with their stroug fore-feet, and utter- 

 ing at the same time their well-known peculiar squeak, which reminded me as much 

 as anything of the note of the marsh titmouse, only much shriller. It does not appear 

 to me to be difficult to account for the periodical plenty and scarcity of this insect. In 

 warm seasons, similar to the one just past, the larvre arrive at maturity and undergo 

 their change into the pupa state in August, the moth appearing in the following month : 

 their eggs would consequently perish from the low temperature of the ensuing winter. 

 Should the summer, however, not be a very warm one, the larva undergoes its change 

 in September, and remains underground until the following June. This seems to be 

 the most probable reason why the larvae are found in great plenty some years, and then 

 years and years will elapse without one being seen. — G. Norman ; Hull, Oct. 9, 1852. 



Notes on the Death's-head Sphinx (Acherontia Atropos). — Not being an entomolo- 

 gist, I do not know whether the eyes of this insect have been observed to be luminous 

 in the dark, but I noticed this to be the case in a living specimen which came into my 

 possession a fortnight since ; the light thus proceeding from the eyes was soft and sub- 

 dued, and though decidedly luminous, yet reminded me of the lustre of an opal. This 

 specimen, when provoked by meeting a finger or other unexpected obstacle in its way, 

 when crawling about, frequently uttered the mouse-like squeak which is known to be 

 characteristic of the species. Both this individual, and another which was taken at 

 Cromer at the same time, was extremely tenacious of life, hut at length yielded to the 

 effect of repeated doses of Prussic acid. — J. II. Gurney ; Lowestoft, October 11, 1852. 



Occurrence of Deilephila Celcrio at We I ton. — As I see all our entomological au- 

 thors consider this insect as rare in Britain, and Stephens even deems it a moot ques- 

 tion whether it be a British species at all, I consider it may be as well to record that 



