70 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
number. I have, at this date, pre- 
pared between forty and fifty excavations, 
which are rapidly becoming tenanted. — 
S. Stone, Brighthampton ; May 14. 
EXCHANGE. 
Larvee of Portkesia Chrysorrhcea . — I 
shall be most happy to supply any person 
with the larvar of P. C/trysorrhcea, pro- 
viding they send box with return postage. 
The species is very abundant in this 
neighbourhood. — William Hargreaves, 
9, John Street, Gravesend; May 19. 
Exchange. — I have got eggs of Smerin- 
thus Populi and Cerura vinula, which I 
shall be glad to exchange for any local 
species. — J. 13. White, Box 34, Wake- 
field. 
Exchange. — I have the following du- 
plicates : — 
Melitaea Cinxia (larva and pupae). 
Sphinx Ligustri (one pupa). 
Orgyia Antiqua (eggs and larva). 
S. Fabriciana (larvae and pupae). 
Tortricina larvae in rose-shoots. 
For M. Cinxia I should be glad to re- 
ceive larva or pupae of Theda Quercus 
or Betulce, Apnria Cratiegi or Hypogyinna 
Dispar ; for iny pupa of S. Ligustri I 
should be glad of one of Smerinthus 
Tilice or of Chaerocampa Porcellus. I will 
send the others on receipt of box with 
return postage, or of box with larvae of 
Odonestis polatoria or Gastropacha Quer- 
cifolia. — W. A. Lewis, Springhill House, 
Southampton; May 16. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL PUZZLE. 
In January last, while in Surrey, I 
noticed a fine Norway spruce, that had 
apparently been blown down by the 
wind ; the bole was snapped asunder 
about three feet from the ground. On 
a closer inspection, however, the wood at 
the place of the fracture was found 
mined in all directions by some wood- 
boring larvae, probably a Sire. v ; thus the 
primary cause of the fall of the tree was 
evident. But each of the bores con- 
tained one or two* flies ; these were, it 
seems, Sarcophaga carnaria, Musca vomi- 
taria, Musca meridiana and Sargus 
cupreus : these flies were closely im- 
bedded in the detritus of the wood. 
There were some hundreds so imbedded. 
Now the question arises, How did these 
flies become tenants of the bores? It is 
preposterous to suppose that they were 
“ drawn into the bores by a spider, to be 
preyed on at leisure!” Why, when the 
juices were extracted, were the flies not 
ejected, as is usual under similar circum- 
stances? Yet, strange to say, one of our 
leading entomologists favours such an 
idea, but of what genus and species the 
spider is, of course he cannot say ! And 
so he leaves the matter. 
I am induced to ask you to insert 
these particulars in the pages of your 
serial, in the hope of eliciting a more 
satisfactory explanation. The bores were 
isolated, and apparently unconnected 
with one another, and in some in- 
stances they seemed to have no con- 
nection with the outer air. — Peter 
I nchbald, Storlhes Hall, Huddersfield ; 
May 17. 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
The British Tortrices. By S. J. Wil- 
kinson. London: John Van Voorst, 
Paternoster Row. Price 25s. 
(Continued from p. 56.) 
Asa sample of a book always enables a 
reader to form a belter opinion of its 
