THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



179 



some D. conspersa larvae in 1886, from Mr. Curzon, when in Shetland (on 

 the mainland) ; these produced six specimens, five perfect and one injured, 

 identical with my Welsh variety Albimaculoidce. Note, the variety of D. 

 conspersa var. obliterce first taken by Weaver, in Perthshire, and which were 

 mistaken by Newman (see " Zoologist ") for Barrettii, are rich, full ochreous 

 brown without any markings; but the figure No. 15, plate 39, there called 

 Miselia compta, is in " Westwood and Humphry's British Moths," is cer- 

 tainly a variety of Conspersa, with rather more white upon it than variety 

 Albimaculoidce \ but the description of Compta on page 187 of the same 

 work is certainly a description of Compta where it is said " the wings being 

 regularly fasciated with white/' but it applies to Conspersa where it is said 

 " It feeds on Lychnis dioica, Compta feeds on Dianthus" — C. S. Gregson, 

 Fletcher Grove, Liverpool. 



Polia Nigroctncta bred. — I am now breeding Polia nigrocincta, 

 the larvae of which I took at the Isle of Man last June. 1 have already set 

 five beautiful specimens, three males and two females. — C. S. Gregson, 

 Liverpool. 



A Dwarf Specimen oe Cab era Pus aria. — I took an exceedingly 

 dwarfed form of Cabera pusaria in Hezledon Dene last month. It is barely 

 ten lines in expanse, a well grown specimen reaching fifteen lines. I thought 

 it was subsericeata when I took it in the dusk, but it is a perfect Cabera, 

 and differs from the normal form of pusaria in having one grey line only, the 

 outer one, instead of the usual number. It is a female. — John E. Robson, 

 Hartlepool. 



Etjpithecia Permtjtata at Liverpool. — I am now taking the larvae of 

 Eupithecia permutata in the flower buds of Clejnatis vitalba. Hitherto 

 this has been considered an exclusively southern species, but some years ago 

 I found it feeding at Whitbarrow Scar, but did not get them through for 

 want of food. On seeing a fine Clematis vitalba in a plantation at Eormby 

 last week, I renewed my acquaintance with this interesting species. E. per- 

 mutata is common at Darenth, where the Clematis grows wild in the hedges, 

 but it is only a garden plant hereabouts. You can hardly realize how pleased 

 I felt at seeing the little round holes in the flower buds, and plenty of them. 

 — C. S. Gregson, Liverpool. 



A Strange Larva on Cabbage. — Last week I went over a farm with 

 its owner, to ascertain what was destroying his cabbages. At first sight I 

 said " larvae of Mamestra brassiccz," but on opening a cabbage 1 observed 

 traces I had never seen before, but no larvae. I opened another, no larvae, 

 and the traces were certainly not those of M. brassiccs either habits or frass. 



