Insects. 4133 



Lithocolletis lautella. Bred from oak-leaves, mines the under side. 

 „ Coryli. Mining the upper side of hazel-leaves. 



„ Nicellii. Mining the under side of hazel-leaves. 



„ Ulmifoliella. 



„ viminiella. Beaten out of a sallow-hedge, end of 



August. 



„ Stettinensis. Mining the upper side of alder-leaves, 



the larvae coming out on the under side. 



„ trifasciella. Larvae end of August. 



And several Nepticulae, which are uncommon only because they 

 have never been looked after, and the names of which are not accu- 

 rately decided. 



Thomas Boyd. 

 17, Clapton Square, November, 1853. 



Note on Cerura Vinula. — 1 have now a specimen of this moth, in the pupa state, 

 which changed in August, 1852, so that this is the second winter of its pupation. It 

 exhibits signs of life when handled. Though I have bred many of these moths, I have 

 never before observed one remain two years in the chrysalis ; probably this one will be 

 developed next spring. — John R. S. Clifford ; 21, Queens Row, Pimlico, November 

 1, 1853. 



Note on Hemerophila abruptaria. — This moth, in most entomological works, is 

 marked as uncommon. It has been taken, however, in some plenty, both this season 

 and the last, in the month of May, in a lane near Notting Hill. I have also taken 

 two in Kensington Gardens, and have received a specimen this season from Shropshire, 

 and another locality which I do not remember. — Id. 



Mode of killing Neuroptera. — I have until lately experienced great difficulty in 

 killing these, and especially the larger Libellulidse. An easy and efficacious method 

 recommended to me, is to drop a small quantity of camphorated spirit on the thorax, 

 while the insect is confined in the net : this, if dropped just behind the head, at its 

 junction with the thorax, produces death in a few seconds. An advantage of this 

 method is, that both the camphor and the spirit are volatile, and will soon evaporate, 

 leaving the specimen uninjured. — Id. 



On the Scarcity of Hymenopterous Insects in certain Localities, particularly the 

 Bombi, in 1853. — I have seldom witnessed so great a scarcity of the Bombi, since the 

 years 1816 and 1839, as in the summer of 1853. In the spring I observed very few 

 queens of the different species, which I attributed to the excessive rains and floods in 

 November, December, and January last. After a very late spring, I observed a few 

 of Bombus lucorum aud B. pratorum ; many of these seem to have perished in June 

 and July. In the beginning of September I noticed one specimen of the male of B. 

 lucorum (the most common), but have not seen one of B. pratorum : they seem to be 

 nearly annihilated for the present. That most common species, B. subterraneus, has 

 also become nearly extinct here, and of B. hortorum I have not seen one. The few 

 nests of these species that I have found, have been on the edge of the steep banks of 



