8468 



Insects. 



variety is found near Bordeaux and other places in the South of France, but has not 

 occurred in England.— Henry Doubleday; Epping, March 13, 1863. 



Notes on Ino Globulariae and I. Gen/on. — I took these in company on the 19th of 

 June, 1858, I. Geryon being the more abundant of the two. The following notes, 

 made at the time, may prove interesting: —-"I think I. Globulariae is a little bluer 

 in colour than I. Geryon, but the great point of difference is in their respective habits, 

 I. Globulariae being so much more active, and rarely, if ever, shamming death, as his 

 more sedate brother frequently does. After I had brought them home (in pill-boxes), 

 I always knew which boxes contained I. Globulariae, because the moment I opened 

 them a little way to drop in chloroform they began to flutter; while I. Geryon sat 

 quietly till the fatal drug was administered. The whole differences were such that I 

 scarcely ever failed to recognize I. Globulariae flying. I am here speaking of the 

 males only, the females being nearly similar in size." In setting the insects I 

 observed that the body of the male I. Globulariae was much longer and more tapering 

 than that of I. Geryon. On the question whether I. Geryon be a variety or a species, 

 I will only observe that we get the normal I. Statices in plenty within a mile or two 

 of the hills where I. Geryon abounds, but that I never took them in company ; nor 

 did I ever take any form intermediate between them. — F. Beauchamp. 



Lithosia molybdeola. — The last number of the * Zoologist ' contains a description of 

 several species of the genus Lithosia. Among them there is a new species to which 

 M. Guenee gives the name of molybdeola. My object in noticing it is to ask whether 

 Mr. C. S. Gregson's name of sericea has not the priority. Mr. Doubleday thinks not; 

 I have a strong impression that it has. Mr. Gregson, if he cares about it, can soon 

 satisfy us on this head. If sericea be the first name given to this species I for one 

 shall certainly use it, as I think it at least as good as the other, besides being an 

 English insect and named by an English entomologist. — Joseph Greene, Cubley Rec- 

 tory, Dovericlge, Derby. 



Description of the Larva of Melanthia albicillala. — Some eggs sent me from the 

 North hatched about the end of June, and some that I procured in Sussex hatched 

 about a week later. I had no bramble or raspberry at hand, so I tried them with 

 several other plants, of which they took readily to wild strawberry. 1 soon, however, 

 transferred them to bramble, on which they fed up very fast, being full-grown by the 

 end of July. I should describe them thus : — Velvety, deep green, with a few short 

 and rather bristly hairs. Head greenish brown, with three pale vertical stripes ; inter- 

 stices of segments yellowish, especially on the sides. On the back, at the posterior 

 part of each of the segments from the 4th to the 10th, there is a triangular rather 

 bright yellowish brown spot (looking red by contrast with the green ground colour), 

 the apex towards the head bordered with dark brown, and having a dark brown 

 tapering streak up the centre ; the surface of these spots appears corrugated. 

 Claspers and posterior part of anal segment brown. Spiracular line whitish, edged 

 beneath on the first four and on the 10th and 11th segments with brown. Belly green, 

 with numerous whitish lines and dots. The usual position of the larva is that of 

 a bow, but it has a trick, especially when changing its skin, of hanging down with the 

 body bent backwards almost at a right angle behind the 4th, and again behind the 

 9th segment, so as to resemble the outline of a very lanky letter E. The hack is 

 round, and the belly very flat; the body tapers rapidly from the 5th segment to the 

 head. Its vivid colour and velvety texture render it a beautiful larva ; but the per- 

 fect insect, when bred, seems to me almost without a rival for purity and exquisite 



