Insects. 8343 



acquainted with the larva of either insect. M. Zeller very kindly sent me some fine 

 bred specimens of E. arceuthata, which appears to occur freely in the neighbourhood 

 of Mesnitz. They precisely tallied with my Buckinghamshire insects. I could not 

 in any way convince myself that this species and E. helveticata were identical, and 

 determined to make further investigations. I succeeded this summer in getting a 

 number of impregnated eggs of E. arceuthata : these I distributed among different 

 friends. Mr. Greene, Mr. Hellins and myself succeeded in rearing a few larva?. Early 

 in the autumn Mr. Andrew Wilson kindly sent me some living larvae of E. helveticata, 

 taken by himself in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. I at once saw that there 

 appeared to be annoying distinctive differences between the respective larvae. After 

 having taken careful descriptions of both I forwarded them to Mr. Buckler of Ems- 

 worth, who with his usual kindness sent me back two exquisitely life-like drawings. 

 These I showed to Mr. Doubleday and Mr. Bond, who both expressed their conviction 

 that the species might probably prove to be distinct. I have myself but little doubt 

 on the matter ; at any rate I am convinced that Dr. Staudinger has been very pre- 

 mature in amalgamating them in his lately published ' Catalogue of European Lepi- 

 doptera. — H. Harpur Crewe ; The Rectory, Drayton Beauchamp, December 13, 1862. 



Description of the Larva of Eupithecia arceuthata of Frey . — Stout and plump, 

 same thickness from head to tail. Nearly a quarter larger than the larva of E. helve- 

 ticata. Ground colour grass-green. Central dorsal line dark green. Subdorsal lines 

 pale yellow or yellowish white, posteriorly dark green. Spiracular line white or yel- 

 lowish. Segmental divisions yellow. Head somewhat bifid, when at rest slightly 

 curved inwards, invariably uniform dull green. Belly bright green. Central ventral 

 line yellow, and tip of central dorsal line always dark green. Spaces between sub- 

 dorsal and spiracular lines darker green than rest of body. Feeds on wild juniper 

 from end of September to middle of November ; seldom full-fed till towards the end 

 of October. Will feed on cypress if reared from the egg in confinement. Pupa 

 enclosed in a slight earthen cocoon. Wing-cases transparent yellowish green. Thorax 

 and abdomen rather paler. Tip of abdomen dull red. Perfect insect appears in con- 

 finement in May. — Id. 



Description of the Larva of Eupithecia helveticata, Bdv. — Rather short and stumpy, 

 much more so than preceding insect, altogether a most dumpy-looking larva. Same thick- 

 ness from tip to tail. Ground colour grass-green, duller than E. arceuthata. Central 

 dorsal line dark green, slender, and tip always dusky purplish brown or purple. Sub- 

 dorsal lines broader dark green, edged anteriorly with pale straw-colour, and posteriorly 

 sometimes with purple. Spiracular line waved, pale yellow or straw-colour. Head 

 slightly bifid, when at rest curved inwards, invariably dusky purple, sometimes almost 

 black. Segmental divisions yellowish. Belly duller green. Central ventral line yel- 

 lowish. Feeds on wild juniper. Full-fed from beginning to middle of September, 

 often a month or six weeks earlier than E. arceuthata. — Id. 



Sirex Gigas an Enemy of the Hive Bee. — The following account of a curious fact 

 connected with the habits of Sirex Gigas, communicated to me by my friend Miss 

 Flora Jeston, of Henley-on-Thames, may not be uninteresting to your readers. She 

 writes thus : — " One day about the last week in July we noticed an unusual commo- 

 tion round the largest of the bee-hives of my friend Mr. Pennington. It had been for 

 some time observed that very few bees were to be seen coming out, and he had won- 

 dered as to the cause, inasmuch as it was the strongest of the hives, and a supply of 

 thirty pounds of honey had been left in November for the consumption of the bees 



