^ [Uecember/ 
The next deduction is that the larvae are hatched in the autumn, 
and Mr. D'Orville suggests that perhaps they hybernate— retiring 
underground for protection from cold ; but this I am inclined to doubt,' 
thinking rather that if the weather permits they feed up before winter,h 
but that if frost sets in they die prematurely. 
And lastly, I^Ir. D'Orville concludes, that the moth itself does not 
hybernate, but dies about the end of September. He has his garden full 
of flowers, for the purpose of attracting moths, at all seasons of the year, 
when there are flowers to be had, and he is most indefatigable in watch- 
ing for lepidopterous visitors of all kinds, and yet he has, in a period of 
eleven or twelve years, never once seen convolvuli, save in the months 
of August and September, although their especial favourites— the white 
Petunia and the Marvel of Peru, remain in full. bloom nearly through- 
out October, and would still supply them with food. And I remember 
myself finding in a bed of white Petunias, in 1858, a dead specimen of 
the moth, which had apparently come to a natural end, without violence. 
It is but fair to say that, on looking through the ten volumes of the 
•' Intelligencer," I find two instances recorded of the capture of the moth 
about Midsummer ; yet in the face of the overwhelming majority of 
autumn captures, these instances must be regarded as quite exceptioual. 
As to the British origin of his specimens Mr. D'Orville has no 
doubt ; some of them, as I can testify, were so fine, with the fringes of 
the wings so perfect, that they could not have flown many hours before 
he took them. The larvae or pupae, therefore, must have been in hiding 
near at hand, and yet his oSer of a reward for either has never pro- 
duced any result. 
I will only add (without comment— serious or joking) that on 
measuring the tongues of five or six moths, I found them to vary in 
length from 2f to 3f inches, the males apparently being longer tongued 
than the females. 
Exeter : November 11th. 
Sphinx convolvuli at Alloa, N. B. — I have to inform you that a very fine spe- 
cimen of Sphinx convolvuli was brought me on the 5th of this month. It was got 
at rest in a garden here ; it measures about five inches aci'oss the wings, and with 
the exception of being a httle rubbed from being carried in the hand, is a perfect 
specimen. There was also one captured at Stirling, about seven miles from here, 
on the 1st of the month. — Richakd Borthwick, Alloa, October 16th, 1868. 
Sphinx convolvuli, and a second specimen of Deilephila lineata in Kildare,-—! 
captured five fine cojivolvuli here, in September. They were all taken at a bed of 
Petunias in the dusk of the evening. Another specimen of lineata was taken by 
me the day after I reported the former capture to you. It was on the grass lawn, 
alive, at the middle of the day, and one of our peacocks attempted to eat it.— 
John Douglas, Kilkea Castle, Kildare, October 26th, 1868. 
