3776 Inscets. 



doubt aided the development of these curious formations. — Arthur R. Hogan ; Charl- 

 ton, Dundrum, near Dublin, December, 1852. 



Captures of Lepidoptera in the neighbourhood of Birkenhead during the past 

 year. — 



Chaerocampa Povcellus, three reared from larvae, three captured at New Brighton. 



Pcecilocampa Populi, November 15 — 23, twenty-three at light. 



Lasiocampa Trifolii, July, reared from larvae taken in May at New Brighton. 



Leucania crassicornis, September, not scarce on reed-blossoms after dark. 



Luperina cespitis, August 26, at light. 

 „ abjecta, July 21, two, at sugar. 

 „ albicolon, end of May, in plenty, by raking the banks at New Brighton. 



Spaelotis praecox. I have taken this beautiful insect during the past season, at 

 sugar, on ragwort-flowers, and by raking ; but it is far from being plentiful. 



Heliophobus popularis, September 18 — 29, at light. 



Xanthia cilrago, silago and cerago, September 6 to the end of the month, on rag- 

 wort-flowers, reeds, and at sugar. 



Epunda lichenea, September 13 — 26, not scarce, sitting upon dead sticks in the 

 hedges. 



Hadena lutulenta, September 19, at sugar. 



Hypenodes costaestrigalis, middle of July, in great plenty, flying at dusk amongst 

 heath and furze, in a fir-wood near Birkenhead. 



Ennomos Tiliaria. I took upwards of thirty of this insect at lights, during the 

 month of September. 



Crambus latistrius, end of August, twenty-eight, flying at dusk, and at rest upon 

 stems of grass. 

 — G. A. Almond ; Oliver Street, Birkenhead, Cheshire, January 4, 1853. 



Notes respecting Acherontia Atropos. — The two communications under this title 

 (Zool. 3716), seem to require a few remarks. Mr. Norman says, — " It does not ap- 

 pear to me to be difficult to account for the periodical plenty and scarcity of this in- 

 sect. In warm seasons, similar to the one just past, the larvae arrive at maturity and 

 undergo their change into the pupa state in August, the moth appearing in the follow- 

 ing month : their eggs would consequently perish from the low temperature of the 

 ensuing winter.'' This latter assertion is not supported by facts, for we know that 

 Spallanzani has recorded that he exposed the eggs of silk-worms to cold 23° below 

 zero, and yet they all produced caterpillars. We know, too, that in the Arctic re- 

 gions, during the brief summer, Culices abound to such an extent as to be an intole- 

 rable pest, and yet the intense cold of winter, which would not permit one of them to 

 live, does no harm to their eggs. Yet Mr. Norman thinks that the cold of winter 

 which would destroy the eggs of A. Atropos, would not prove fatal to the pupae. I 

 also think that they would not be injured thereby. Sir John Ross in one of his north- 

 ern voyages exposed larvae of Laria Rossii to a temperature of 40° below zero, thawed 

 and froze them again several times, and still some went into pupae, and arrived at the 

 perfect state, (Zool. 3366). There seems no reason to doubt that had the experiment 

 ceased after once thawing them, they would all have survived ; and from this and other 

 circumstances I am induced to believe that a frequent change of temperature, and, 

 above all, long exposure to wet, is more hurtful to insect life than cold alone. The 

 other remark I have to make is with respect to the luminosity of A. Atropos observed 

 by Mr. J. H. Gurney. The same beautiful opalescent light may be seen in the eyes 



