THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



did not grow and gormandize so rapidly as usual. It is a flabby larvae, I 

 mean if you get hold of it, it appears to have been starved to death, nothing 

 inside it, and also clings unpleasantly tightly to the food-plant. They 

 pupated about July 14th, and are remaining over the winter in that state. 



Bernas coryli hatched about July 1st. They feed very like C. cur tula and 

 appear to be very fond of withered food. I fed them on birch, which in this 

 immediate neighbourhood is very much affected by the smoke and soon withers ; 

 but often going into the country I generally brought some clean fresh food 

 which these larvae in particular would not look at, infinitely preferring the 

 withered leaves in the garden here. They pupated during the early part of 

 October. 



I think I have written enough for one month, but I have enumerated 

 only a very small number of the species I have been breeding this year. 

 I have had upwards of three thousand larvae comprising over a hundred species, 

 so I think I can safely say I have worked hard this year so far as breed- 

 ing is concerned. But I do not wish my readers to think I breed merely 

 for the accumulation of specimens, it is to learn their life-histories, and 

 to observe the many curious habits that different species exhibit. I 

 could fill a small volume with descriptions of curious species, their ways, 

 habits, larva varieties, and other items of interest, but they would take up 

 too much space to introduce into random notes like these, and to tell the 

 truth I do not yet feel competent enough to do so, as one cannot learn any- 

 thing like the history of a species with only one season's acquaintance with it, 

 unless you pay particular attention to each one individually, and that is often 

 an impossibility to do as very few entomologists have sufficient leisure to 

 devote very much time to observing larvae, often only just enough to feed 

 them. During the summer I generally used to spend four or five hours every 

 day in my breeding house and then used to feel how much longer I should 

 have to remain if I wished to thoroughly learn their habits, but of course I 

 had rather an unusual number to look after and they took a lot of feeding, 

 apart from observation. 



In conclusion might I ask your readers how glad I should be of help with 

 any surplus ova or larvae, and how gladly 1 will make any return in my power. 

 I am anxious to breed so many species that almost anything is very 

 acceptable. 

 Norbury, Sheffield, November yd, 1888. 



