5252 Insects. 



the river Trent, near Newark, Notts, on the 23rd of July, 1856. As it is a 

 young bird of this year, the interscapulars being brown instead of white, and the 

 bill short, I should think it likely to have been bred in England.— W. F. Foottit ; 

 Newark. 



Note on * Manual of British Butterflies and Moths? — There are two statements 

 made in the August number of the ' Manual of British Butterflies,' one of which I am 

 anxious to correct, and the other to modify. In reference to Lithosia griseola, it is 

 said, "Larva unknown." This is quite an erroneous dictum: I have been in the 

 habit of breeding it for some years past; I bred it at Halton, and in my present 

 locality, during the spring, I found the larvae by dozens: it bears a strong resemblance 

 to that of* the common complanula, but I will not attempt to give an accurate 

 description of it, as, supposing it well known, I did not pay much attention to it. 

 Like the majority of the species in this genus, it is a lichen-feeder, but it will not 

 refuse leaves, as I have reared it from plantain, and Mr. Crewe told me he had bred 

 it, I think, from beech. Secondly, of Clostera curtula, it is said, "This appears to 

 have become a scarce insect." I am far from denying a statement in general which 

 I can only disprove in particular, but I have long entertained an opinion similar 

 to that expressed by, I think, Mr. Hodgkinson, in a former volume of the.' Zoologist,' 

 that many insects esteemed rare are only so through ignorance of their habits and a 

 want of steady and assiduous searching ; but, as regards C. curtula, last autumn I took, 

 or rather might have taken, the larva? in profusion : ignorant of the circumstance that 

 the insect was a desideratum, I secured only eighteen, from which I bred ten fine 

 specimens. I trust I shall not be deemed presumptuous if I add that I think the 

 scarcity of the insect may be owing, in part at least, to ignorance of the proper way 

 of searching for the larva : many larvae, as is well known, spin themselves up securely 

 in a leaf, or between leaves, during the day-time, and come out to feed at night, as 

 the different species of Ceropacha, Tethea, &c; now it is almost, if not entirely, 

 useless to beat for these; they can only be found by examining the leaies. Both 

 C. curtula and C. reclusa spin up in this way : the right method, therefore, as it appears 

 to me, to search for the larvae, is carefully to examine the poplar shrubs and shoois 

 which may be growing in open places or borders of woods; open every leaf which may 

 be glued together, or, if two leaves be joined, disconnect them, and though many will 

 be found empty or tenanted perhaps only by earwigs, yet, if the insect occur in the 

 locality, it will be astonishing how much success will attend a few hours' careful 

 search. Mr. Crewe is the best "hand" I know of at this kind of work, and to him 

 I am indebted for much valuable information on the subject. I took the two species 

 together, C. reclusa being the most abundant. Before I conclude, may I ask, Has 

 not some error occurred in the same number of the ' Manual,' respecting chrysorrlicei 

 and auriflua? The former I have been in the habit of supposing was the common 

 gold-tni\ed moth, the latter the much more uncommon brown-td\\, occurring princi- 

 pally on the coast. — J. Greene ; Playford, Ipswich, August 9, 185G. 



Reply to Mr. Grcgsons Observations at p. 5210 of the ' Zoologist! — 1 hope some 

 one more competent than myself will reply to Mr. Gregson's paper in last month's 

 'Zoologist,' but should not like it to be supposed that he represents all Lancashire; 



