8244 



Insects. 



Acronycta Alni at Worcester.— On llie 31st of August I took a larva of Acronycta 

 Alni on some palings round a shrubbery in the village of Powick, about a mile from 

 my house. The previous night had been very stormy, and I concluded it had been 

 blown from some tree or shrub overhanging the palings. No alder was near, but I 

 offered it Seringa, lime and elm being the only trees near the paling, and afterwards 

 alder and other things, but all iu vain. As it seemed about full fed, I hoped from 

 day to day that it would make its cocoon, and, to enable it to do so, I supplied it with 

 various kinds of rotten wood, as well as earth and moss, in a most convenient wooden 

 box, where other laws had made themselves perfectly happy. But no, it would 

 neither eat nor work, and, after some days of alternate restlessness and sulks, it retired 

 into a corner of the box, where it gradually dried up, without any sign of disease or 

 ichneumon ; in short, it was a case just like that of Mr. M'Lachlan's larva (Zool.8210). 

 Had Mr. Moore's observations been published in time I should certainly have tried 

 hollow slicks in my breeding-cage. Rotten wood was recommended to me hy a dis- 

 tinguished northern entomologist, who also spoke from experience of the value of 

 alder as food. A Worcester entomologist, however, bred a moth this spring from a 

 larva that fed on lime. This is the second time that I have taken this larva in this 

 neighbourhood ; my first served me exactly the same, but I did not then know of the 

 rotten wood. The restlessness in that case was very remaikable, and I believe it died 

 as much from over-walking as from want of food. Could the nervous system of this 

 larva be investigated by some modern Lyonnet, the difficulty of rearing it might be 

 accounted for; but as A. Alni is so scarce, and Lyonnets are probably extinct, we 

 must content ourselves with observing the habits and consulting the tastes of this 

 fastidious creature whenever we have the opportunity. It is the duty of every one 

 who takes the larva to publish his observations. If I should be fortunate enough to 

 take another I shall certainly try the hollow slicks. — R. Horton ; Lower Wick, 

 Worcester, October 2, 18(>2. 



Micro-Lepidoplera at Mickleham. — In the course of the past few weeks I have taken 

 the following not generally common species of Tineina on Mickleham Downs: — 



Zelleria insignipennella and Z. hepariella. Both these insects have been, as far 

 as I can judge, far more common than usual. They are almost invariably beaten 

 from yew trees. There appear to be some doubts as to whether they are really distinct, 

 and at first I felt strongly inclined to share these doubts, but further experience of the 

 insects induces me to think that they are really two good species, — a point that can 

 only be settled by the discovery of the larvae. When Z. hepariella first appears, 

 Z. insignipennella is scarce, but later in the season the reverse appears to be the case, 

 and on my last two visits I saw no sign of Z. hepariella; besides the latter insect is 

 always smalier and generally darker and more obscure, but the head is much paler. 



Gracilaria semifaseia is not at all uncommon ; beaten both from yew and juniper. 



•Coriscium cuculipennellum. A few specimens beaten from yew. 



C. sulphurellum. I have taken about fifty specimens of this insect. The first 

 two or three were beaten from yew, but 1 afterwards came upon their head-quarters in 

 this wise: happening to beat an old lichen-covered sloe-bush, several specimens flew 

 out, and this set me to work systematically at the few bushes I could find of this 

 character, and I found that the amount of thrashing they stood before they would 

 apparently yield up all their occupants, was most astonishing, Mr. E. Shepherd 

 informs me that he has observed the creature to have similar habits in the .New Forest. 

 1 can scarcely suppose that the larva feeds on lichen, a habit that would be so much at 



