64 Insects, 



two acute teeth : intermediate and posterior femora clothed with sil- 

 very hairs, the anterior fimbriated with long silvery hair ; two acute 

 spines at the base of the anterior coxae ; all the legs pubescent, with 

 the claws feri*uginous : the wings have a dark margin : the abdomen 

 has a longish fringe of luteous hair encircling the first segment, the 

 remaining segments have also continuous bands of short decumbent 

 luteous hairs. The spines at the apex are similar to those in C. co- 

 nica, but the whole insect is much more finely punctured, particularly 

 on the abdominal segments. F. Smith. 



Newington, December, 1842. 



Note on the Capture of Moths on Grass. On the evening of the 

 20th of August last, my friend Mr. Bedell and myself were returning 

 from mothing in the marshy fields between the Kent Road and the 

 Greenwich Railway, having had but very little success, when a moth 

 was seen to rise from the grass, and being caught, it proved to be Gra- 

 phiphora punicea. We next began to sweep the grass, and were sur- 

 prised to find moths, not singly or in dozens, but in hundreds. The 

 next night saw us there with lanterns and other necessary apparatus, 

 and if we were surprised the previous night, we were then much more 

 so. Almost every blade of grass had its insect ; in fact I do not be- 

 lieve that so many moths were ever before seen together. The majo- 

 rity were females, and Mr. Bedell found some eggs which had appa- 

 rently been recently deposited on the grass. Several subsequent visits 

 were paid to the spot, and always with the same results ; the number 

 of moths visible, how^ever, varying greatly on different nights, cold 

 and windy weather having its usual effect in diminishing the number. 

 The species taken were Graphiphora plecta, G. punicea, G. C-nigrum, 

 Lytsea umbrosa, Segetia xanthographa, Gortyna micacea, Apamea fi- 

 brosa, Leucania pallens, Orthosia lunosa, Lozotaenia costana, Nomo- 

 phila hybridalis. A number of larvae were also found feeding on 

 Chenopodium, grass, &c., which have laid up for the winter. — J, W. 

 Douglas ; 4, Waterloo Place, Coburg Road, Kent Road, December 

 6, 1842. 



Note on the appearance of the Peacock Butterjly in December. 

 So excessively mild and pleasant has this day been, that its resem- 

 blance to spring appears to have deceived one of our finest butterflies, 

 the peacock, (Vanessa lo), a splendid specimen of which I have just 

 had the pleasure of seeing on a sunny bank, and on my approach it 

 darted off with a flight as bold as if it had been the middle of summer. 

 — W. Gaze ; Lavcnham, Deccwher 18, 1842. 



