206 



[Janosry, 



Odour emitted by Sphinx convohniU. — I omitted to add to the notes on Sphinv 

 eonvolvuli, wliich appeared in the last number (p. 168), the fact that two or three 

 male specimens of the moth, caught in my garden this autumn, whilst alive, and 

 held between my finger and thumb, gave forth a very perceptible odour of musk, as 

 was remarked by several members of my family besides myself; I did not perceive 

 the same smell with the females, but not having been able to procure any more 

 specimens after my attention had been drawn to the males, I do not like to say 

 positively that the sexes differ in this respect. — J. Hellins, Exeter, Becembery 1868. 



Habits of Coccyx hyrdniana—H the spruce fir is examined early in the spring, 

 many of the needles will be found to be eaten out and turned brown, and carefully 

 laid down parallel with the shoot, so as to form a covered way for the protection of 

 the larva. This larva seems hard to find, although its traces are plentiful enough, 

 but I believe it to be that of Coccyx hyrciniana, which I have bred by keeping a 

 lot of the infested shoots in a bottle.— Charles G. Barrett, Norwich. 



Notes on the earlier stages of DcLsycampa rubiginea. — I well remember the 

 curious mixture of satisfaction and disappointment with which I once saw a larva 

 of Cidaria pyraliata fall into my net, after having for three seasons vainly tried to 

 procure one, in order that Mr. Buckler might be enabled to complete a set of 

 figures of that genus : there was satisfaction that the long-desired species was 

 obtained, disappointment somehow that now there was no other Cidaria to be 

 looked for — reticulata, of course, excepted ; but that seemed, and stiU seems, so 

 far out of reach, that it did not come into my reckoning. And I must confess to 

 something like a return of the same mixed feelings, as I take up the pen to 

 chronicle my observations on the earlier stages of Dasycampa rubiginea, for one of 

 my longest desiderated secrets is now gained, and a twelve years' pursuit has 

 come to an end. Throughout that period scarcely a year has passed ^vithout some 

 one of us in this neighbourhood taking a specimen of the moth, but eggs we could 

 not get. If a female were taken at ivy in the autumn it was no good, for she 

 could not be kept alive till the pairing time in spring. Mr. Norcombe once shut 

 up six moths, with the sole result of getting just so many wasted specimens for the 

 cabinet ; and if we took a moth at sallows in the spring, it always turned out to be 

 a male. So it had gone on, as I said before, for twelve years. However, this 

 season, Mr. Thos. Terry, of Babbicombe, has been more successful, and to his 

 generosity I am indebted for my present knowledge. 



On Mai'ch 21st, 1868, he took a female at sallows, and shut her up in a glass- 

 topped box about six inches square, putting in for her food a little plum-jam. On 

 March 28th he saw two eggs had been laid on the box ; on the 30th, three more ; 

 on April 1st, two more on the box, and four on a spi-ig of blackthorn which he had 

 supplied. These were followed by three or four more, for wliich I have no dates, 

 and were all laid singly, on the underside of a leaf, or under any little projection in 

 the box. How, after this again, the unhappy moth stuck in the jam, and perished 

 miserably with 87 eggs in her stUl unlaid ; how, of the few secured, bad luck 

 pursued nearly one-third, either before or just after the hatching of the larvjc, I 

 will not relate at length : I mention these mishaps only to enhance Mr. Teny's 

 liberality in still sparing eggs and larvoe to Mr. Buckler and myself. 



The larvae were hatched between April 19th and 23rd ; fed freely on plum- 

 leaves, and not so well on sloe, sometimes taking to knotgrass, and became full-fed 

 from June 15th to 20th ; and the moths appeared between September 8th and 20th. 



