1508 Insects. 



Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos at Cambridge. — Caterpillars at Cambridge, feed- 

 ing on what is there called the " tea-tree," full-grown at the end of July ; one in a very 

 warm situation became a perfect insect by the middle of September. A perfect insect 

 was also caught near Cambridge in the early part of the year. I mention these, be- 

 cause of the times of appearance, which, to my very limited experience, seems unusual. 

 — John Wolley ; Beeston, near Nottingham, October 3rd, 1846. 



Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos at Chipping Norton. — A very fine specimen of 

 this great insect flew into a grocer's shop in this town, about eight o'clock in the eve- 

 ning of September 24th, probably attracted by the sweets the place contained ; it was 

 soon captured, and is in nearly a perfect state, and appears to have but a short time 

 previously emerged from the chrysalis. I had several larvae of this insect, all of which 

 went into the earth between the 26th of July and 1st of August. Since which time, 

 two chrysalides have been dug up in the potato fields. I examine my boxes frequently 

 with the hope of finding them risen again. — T. Goatley ; Chipping Norton, Oxon, 

 October 3rd, 1846. 



Occurrence of the larva of Acherontia Atropos near Cambridge. — A considerable 

 number of the larvae of Acherontia Atropos were found in the vicinity of the town, in 

 July, feeding upon the common tea-tree, potato, &c. As far as I have been able to 

 ascertain, not less than thirty-four were found. Those I had I reared (dating from 

 the pupa) in less than twenty-one days, by placing them between the folds of flannel, 

 and subjecting them to a moderate degree of heat. — T. Brown; 15, Bridge Street, 

 Cambridge, September 21st, 1846. 



Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos near Leicester. — The remarkable commonness 

 of this species in the vicinity of Leicester this year, is very difficult to account for. 

 About the 20th of last July, and up to the middle of August, the larva appeared 

 simultaneously in great numbers at different villages, on a common garden shrub called 

 the tea-tree, upon which they thrived when unmolested ; and when bred in confine- 

 ment, all the specimens seemed healthy when changing to the chrysalis state. The 

 circumstance of so many large larvae appearing, attracted the attention of people other- 

 wise but little interested in Entomology ; but whose interest, however, was mainly di- 

 rected to the disposal of the specimens for a pecuniary consideration. The only re- 

 corded instances of this moth being captured in this county, before the present, are two 

 taken by myself in 1840, and one by a friend in 1842, — John Plant ; Leicester, Sep- 

 tember 28th, 1846. 



Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos near Hessle-upon-Humber. — I have to record the 

 capture of five caterpillars of Acherontia Atropos, by some labourers whilst digging 

 potatoes near this place. — George Burton, Jun. ; Hessle-upon-Humber, September 

 9th, 1846. 



On the occurrence of the larvae of the Death's-head Hawk-moth at Clonmel. — For 

 some weeks back the caterpillars of the death's-head hawk-moth have been found in 

 this immediate neighbourhood in considerable numbers. About twenty have come 

 into my possession, having been got in the potato grounds about here, and have pro- 

 bably been discovered much easier on account of the disease of the stalks of this plant 

 than they would have been, had not such been the case. I have not known an in- 

 stance before of the occurrence of this insect here in this stage, a few have been got in 

 the perfect state. — Robert Davis, Jun. ; Clonmel. 



Capture of the larva of Acherontia Atropos near Morpeth, Northumberland. — The 

 following paragraph appeared in the 'Newcastle Journal' of the 3rd of August: 



