30 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
what I shall do with his and some other 
unpaid boxes, as it cannot be expected 
that I should pay the return postage for 
them. If Mr. S. will let me know his 
wants I will endeavour to send him 
something else. I should have felt 
happy to have been able to supply every 
one, but I named the number, and as it 
was limited I could not do as I should 
have wished, and I trust this will be a 
satisfactory apology. — J. S. Dell, 126, 
Navy Row , Morice Town , Devonport ; 
October 16. 
FORCING LASIOCAMPA RUBI. 
To the Editor of the ‘ Intelligencer 
Sir, — In this day’s ‘ Intelligencer ’ 
Mr. Robson intimates that he is unaware 
of any system of forcing the larva of 
Lasiocampa Rubi. I wish to acquaint 
Mr. Robson, or any other entomologist 
in the same position, that the practice 
of forcing larvee of Lasiocampa Rubi is 
an old one, and the practice very simple. 
One method is thus described by a cor- 
respondent to the ‘ Substitute’ (and what 
entomologist that has read the ‘ Intelli- 
gencer’ from the commencement has not 
also read the ‘ Substitute ’ ?) : — 
“ Having captured a dozen cater- 
pillars of L. Rubi on Houghton Moss, 
I brought some peat dust from the same 
place, and half filling a small wooden 
box with it, I put the larvse in, having 
first perforated the lid for air-holes, and 
placed the box in a cupboard abutting 
on the kitchen flue ; and beLween Christ- 
mas and the end of January nine moths 
came out, six perfect insects and three 
cripples. The larva were full-sized when 
I took them, about the beginning of 
October.” 
The * Substitute ’ mentions other in- 
stances of forcing larvse; and, I should 
like to add, I conceive that work to be 
really useful, as it contains much infor- 
mation serviceable to incipients. 
Yours, &c., 
Richard Cartmel. 
3, Gloucester Road, 
Old Kent Road, S.E. ; Oct. 13. 
ON A NEW LITHOSIA INTERME- 
DIATE BETWEEN L. COMPLANA 
AND L. COMPLANULA. 
BY C. S. GREGSON. 
(Read before the Northern Entomological Society , 
September 29, 1860.^ 
Some time ago my friend Mr. Double- 
day called my attention to the form of 
Lithosia which we take on our mosses, 
by telling me that his friend M. Guenee 
had observed the peculiar suffused ap- 
pearance on the under wing of our spe- 
cies. Until last year I never obtained a 
good specimen of the type of Mr. Double- 
day’s Complana, when I got one taken 
by my friend Mr. Hydes, of Sheffield, in 
the New Forest: this specimen I placed 
in my cabinet as a variety under my moss 
species. Since then I have paid much 
attention to this group, and have now 
concluded in my own mind that the spe- 
cies we take on our mosses is distinct 
from the Complana of Mr. Doubleday’s 
List, and ought to be placed between 
that species and his L. Complanula : 
from the first it differs in its more 
rounded costa, the costal streak being 
narrower and not carried out to the apex 
of the wing parallel, as in L. Complana : 
in its more silky appearance, and general 
narrower form ; in the under wings 
always being suffused more or less, — ■ 
sometimes, as in one specimen before you, 
they are quite dark, without any of the 
