308 THE YOUNG 



success. The Gateshead collectors also 

 report in similar strain. — John E. Robson, 

 West Hartlepool. 



Larva of Saturnia carpini. — I have 

 recently had some larvae of this species sent 

 to name, which are much greener than any 

 I have before seen of the same species. The 

 green greatly predominates over the black, 

 in fact the latter colour is confined to a 

 narrow ring round each tubicule. Some of 

 the specimens sent had pink tubercules, 

 while others had them yellow, and my 

 correspondent asks if this difference of 

 colour is due to sex. I am not aware that 

 it is. When the young larvae issue from the 

 egg they are quite black, and are then very 

 inconspicuous among the almost leafless 

 ling. After their second moult they are 

 green and black, and these are equally 

 difficult to see among the young shoots of 

 their food plant. Finally, just as the ling 

 is showing pink flower-buds, the tubercules 

 of the larvae assume the same colour. This 

 is a wonderful adaptation to conceal the 

 larvae from birds of prey. The green larvae 

 were collected in Cheshire. I have also 

 recently had some larvae of this species, one 

 of which remained completely black up to 

 the time of its going into pupa. — S.L.M. 



Captures on the Crosby Sandhills. — 

 Saturday, August 27th. By beating the 

 willows, larvae of Sphinx populi, were ob- 

 tained somewhat plentifully; Dicranwa 

 vinula, Notodonta dictcea, and N. Ziczac, 

 were also taken. A large field of ragwort 

 was chosen for nocturnal work, and a row 

 of trees were likewise treacled. On the 

 latter I did not capture a single specimen, 

 but the former amply made up for that 

 deficiency. Agrotis valligera and A. tritici 

 were not uncommon. Last year A. valligera 

 swarmed both day and night on the ragwort, 

 but the present season is remarkable for 

 the comparative scarity of that species. 

 A. cwrsoria were apparently scarce, but 



NATURALIST. 



from the similarity of some varieties of this 

 species to A. tritici, they may have been 

 overlooked. A fine pair of Luperina ces- 

 pitis, L. testacea, Hydrcecia nietitans, Xylo- 

 phasia polyodon, Triphcena pronuba, and 

 Noctua Xanthographa were also taken. 



Last spring I bred a a fine variety of the 

 female of B. querent, which has the basal 

 half of the upper and underwings of a dark 

 chocolate brown, bounded by a median line 

 of a darker shade. Beyond the outer margin 

 of this line lies a broad band of dark olive 

 green, which gradually merges into the 

 ground colour. Spot in upper wing almost 

 pure v/hite. The larva of this specimen was 

 taken during the spring of 1880, and re- 

 mained in the pupa state throughout the 

 summer, autumn, and winter of the same 

 year. — C. H. H. Walker, Liverpool. 



CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS 

 THE FAUNA OF PLYMOUTH. 



By Mr. G. C. Bignell, M.E.S. 



(Reprinted by permission of the author from the 

 Transactions of the Plymouth Institution and Devon 

 and Cornwall Natural History Society, 1881.) 



HYMENOPTERA, ICHNEUMONIDjE. 



Arranged according to the Rev. T. A. Marshall's Cata- 

 logue, published by the Entomological Society of 

 London, 1872. 



Part I. 

 (Continued from page 288.J 



EURYLABUS. — 



dims. 

 Ph^ogenes. — 

 melanogorius. 

 iscliiomelinus. 



candidatus, bred from Turtrix viridana. 

 trepidus. This is a new British species, ; 

 and captured by myself at Widewell 

 Farm, 4th August, 1880. 

 Phygadenon. — 

 fumator. Plymbridge, 24th April, 1880. 

 vagans. Plymbridge, 5th May, 1880. 

 (To be continued.) 



