78 THE BRITISH NATURALIST. [April 



Mania typica. — Mania typica is a very common London insect — that 

 is in its larval stage. I cannot say that I ever met with it previous to 

 my London life, but perhaps that was owing to my ignorance of its 

 life history. Soon after coming to town I found some larvae con- 

 gregated together and eating the under sides of the leaves of Rtnnex, 

 Epilobiuin, &c. I took a quantity and tried to rear them, but v/as 

 unable to carry them through the winter. Next year I got some more, 

 and decided in my own mind that they were some very common 

 species. I kept them indoors this time, and was very much interested 

 in watching them at night time when they came out to feed. We had 

 a lot of Epilohium hirsiitum in our garden, so I gathered some, and I 

 put it in a wide-mouthed bottle with water. It soon died and shrivelled 

 up, but I sprinkled it with water once a week, and the larvae must 

 have commenced to feed on it in January, as they moulted and began 

 to grow. Then I supplied them with a blade or two of Iris and I soon 

 observed notches eaten out. 1 felt sure then that I should be able to 

 breed the moths. The larva kept eating and grovv^ng until the end 

 of March, when they were exceedingly fine and handsome. Then I 

 noticed their gradual disappearance below ground. In about four 

 weeks — that is by about the last week in A.pril — the first moth emerged, 

 very soon my boards were full with them, and I allowed a number to 

 fly away. This species is very easy to rear when once you know 

 them, as I suppose is the case with almost all common moths. One 

 thing I particularly observed, they did not try to commit suicide by 

 drowning, like some other larva. I dare say this is all very stale to 

 you who have gone through the same yourself, but it afforded me great 

 delight at the time, and I cannot altogether forget the old loves, 

 although I Imve taken up with Coieoptera. — G. A. Lewcock, London, 

 8ih March, 1891. 



NOTES FOR BEGINNERS.— MICRO LARV^ 



FOR THE MONTH. 



BY GEORGE ELISHA, F.E.S. 



The month of April IS alwa ys welcome to the entomologist, for its 

 sunshine and occasional shov/ers soon alter the appearance of the 

 lanes and woods ; the wild plants are now growing fast, larvae are 

 getting plentiful, and the time has arrived when we must begin the 



