140 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
Depressaria Na'natella. 
Argyresthia Nilidella. 
Plerophorus Mierodactylus. F. ; one 
specimen. 
Corisciura Cuculipennellum (larvae). F. 
And a variety of other more common 
species. Wi(h the exception of A. Gala- 
thea, P. Cor 1 / don. B. Perla,X. Lithoxylea , 
X. Sublustris, AI. Furuncula and B. Fla- 
valis, all the above species were ex- 
ceedingly scarce, so much so that of one 
or two only could I obtain even a small 
series. At the same time A. Galalhea, 
P. Corydon , II. Janira and B. Flavalis , 
though late, were most profusely abund- 
ant, but scarcely a specimen of V. In or 
V. Ur tiers could be seen. May we not 
therefore presume that a cold and wet 
season, though unfavourable to the deve- 
lopment of most species of Lepidoptera, 
is nevertheless, either directly or in- 
directly, conducive to that of others? 
May not the larvae of A. Galalhea, 
H. Janira, P. Corydon, B. Flavalis and 
some others, be more particularly subject 
to the attach of ichneumons? and may 
they not therefore, in a season when cold 
and wet prevail and lessen the ravages 
of these parasites, produce pupae in such 
abundance that a greater number of per- 
fect insects come to maturity, notwith- 
standing impeded development, than 
when there are l'ewer pupae and no im- 
pediment to development? With regard 
to Noctuas, I perseveringly sugared trees, 
posts, herbage, &c., in all kinds of 
localities, and rarely found even so much 
as a specimen of P. Meticulosa. In 
the above list C. Cuculipennellum is in- 
cluded : I have only two specimens, which 
I bred from about a dozen pupas col- 
lected from a privet-bush on the coast at 
Folkestone: they were all found on one 
bush, and my search on other bushes 
proved quite fruitless. The formation of 
the end of the privet-leaf into a cone 
containing the pupa within was very re- 
markable for symmetry and construction, 
being turned and jointed with the greatest 
nicety: it should be seen before the leaf 
has withered to be duly appreciated: 
when withered the cone becomes dis- 
torted. It was a source of regret that I 
knew not how to preserve its original 
form. — R. W. Fereday, 2, Leighton 
Villas, Kentish Town; Jan. 22, 1861. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Vitality of Larva; subjected to excessive 
Cold. — An instance of this has recently 
come under my notice. On the 1st of 
this month, at Oswestry, I (or rather my 
niece, who was with me) found lying on 
the surface of the snow, in a grass field, 
the larva of a Noctua, quite stiff and 
hard, and apparently frozen to the con- 
sistency of ice. The snow lay upon the 
field at least four inches deep, with not a 
blade of grass showing through it or a 
tree within at least thirty yards. The 
larva, in less than half an hour after 
being taken into a warm room and placed 
upon the chimney-piece, revived and 
crawled about quite brisk and lively, 
and has not subsequently shown any 
symptoms of having suffered front con- 
gelation. I mentioned this fact, and 
exhibited the larva at the meeting of the 
Entomological Society of London, on the 
7th inst., but as there are readers of the 
‘Intelligencer’ who do not attend the 
Society’s meetings you may perhaps 
think proper to give this insertion in your 
columns. — R. W. Fereday, 2, Leighton 
Villas, Kentish Town ; Jan. 22, 1861. 
THE DEMAND FOR HUMBLE-BEES. 
Some of our readers may have wondered 
at Mr. Lubbock’s extreme eagerness to 
season ; but the object is to ascertain 
