Insects, 



6285 



the first specimen on the 6th of October, 1856; this is in the cabinet of the Eev. Mr. 

 Ima<;e. — Edward Newman; October 1, 1858. 



Larva of Ennomos fuscantaria. — I have bred seven specimens of E. fuscantaria 

 from the egg, all males, — a circumstance which has occurred in another instance known 

 to me, and which seems to indicate that the female is really scarcer in this species. 

 The larvae fed upon ash, but some of them were much earlier than others, the eggs 

 hatching very late, and at considerable intervals. The markings described in the 

 'Manual' as belonging to this larva are by no n^eans distinct, but almost obliterated, 

 so that the appearance of the larva is that of a plain green looper, attenuated towards 

 the head. The pupa is also green, suspended in a leaf, like that of E. angularia, and 

 assuming purplish tints two days before it emerges. — B. Smith ; Marloiv, October 5, 

 1858. — From (he ' Intelligencer.^ 



The Genus Oporabia— May I be permitted to ask Mr. Gregson, through the 

 medium of the ' Zoologist,' if he is certain that the insect he calls Oporabia autura- 

 naria (Zool. 6193), and which he says has been bred by Mr. Greening from larvae on 

 oak, is the autumnaria of Doubleday's ' List'? I have always understood that the 

 insect therein indicated, and which we have been in the habit of calling autumnaria 

 in this country, was a birch-feeder, and I have bred the insect to which I allude from 

 this tree, the larva differing sufficiently from that of the common dilutata, but not I 

 suspect equally from that of filigrammaria, which has been reared this season by Mr. 

 Wilson from larva) on heath. I should be much inclined to suspect that the insect 

 bred from oak was, as suggested, a variety of O. dilutata. — R. F. Logan; Dudding- 

 ston, Edinburgh, October 13, 1858. 



Death of the Honey-bee supposed to be occasioned by a Fungus. — Mr. Martin, of 

 Liverpool, makes the following communication to the Rev. Henry Higgins: — "In 

 October last I had three hives of bees which I received into my house. Each door- 

 way was closed, and the hive placed upon a piece of calico ; the corners were brought 

 over the top, leaving a loop by which the hive was suspended from the ceiling. The 

 hives were taken down about the 14th of March ; two were healthy, but all the bees 

 in the third were dead ; there were a gallon of bees. The two hives contaiuing live 

 bees were much smaller, but in each of them were dead ones. Under whatever cir- 

 cumstances you preserve bees through the winter, dead ones are found at the bottom 

 in the spring. The room, an attic, was dry ; and I had preserved the same hives in 

 the same way during the winter of 1856. In what I may call the dead hive there was 

 abundance of honey when it was opened ; and it is clear that its inmates did not die 

 from want. It is not a frequent occurrence for bees so to die, but I have known 

 another instance. In that case the hive was left out in the ordinary way, and possibly 

 cold was the cause of death. I think it probable that my bees died about a month 

 before the 14th of March, merely from the circumstance that some one observed about 

 that lime that there was no noise in the hive. They might have died earlier ; but 

 there were certainly live bees in the hive in January. I understand there was 

 an appearance of mould on some of the combs. There was ample ventilation, I think ; 

 indeed, as the bees were suspended, they had more air than through the summer when 

 placed on the stand.'' Mr. Higgins makes the following observations on the above: — 

 " When the occurrence was first made known to me, I suggested that the bees might 

 probably have died from the growth of a fungus, and requested some of the dead bees 

 might be sent for examination. They were transmitted to me in a very dry stale ; and 

 a careful inspection with a lens afforded no indications of vegetable growth. I then 



