12 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
Noctua leucoyrapha . — We have taken 
three males of this species, and a 
pair of Munda at sallows since Friday 
last. — Bernard Smith, Marlow; April 
8, 1856. 
Elachista and Aira caspitosa. — I 
believe that Zonariella will be found 
wherever this grass is abundant. It re- 
quires some little patience to find this 
larva, but once found, you can go on 
picking first one blade and then another, 
until you quite wonder where they keep 
coming from : I believe it is the larva of 
Zonariella which I now find so abun- 
dant. I say believe, because neither Mr. 
Stainton nor I have as yet succeeded in 
rearing the spring brood, nor am I aware 
of any one else having done so. The 
larva eats the whole breadth of the leaf, 
and is generally found at the tip : when 
full-grown it is large and stout, of a 
dirty green colour, with the head, and a 
spot on the anal segment brown ; on the 
corselet is a very pretty brown character, 
not unlike the outline of the capital of a 
Corinthian column : I find also the same 
larva in one of the smooth-leaved grasses, 
but not nearly so plentiful. In Aira 
caspitosa also I have at present cinereo- 
punclella , either atricomella or lutico- 
mella, or both, and also what I believe is 
Meyerlella : without doubt I have this 
last in Brachypodium sylvaticum. — 
John Scott, South Stockton, Stockton- 
on-Tees ; April 7, 1856. 
[We are rather incredulous as to 
Cinereopunctella feeding on Aira caspi- 
tosa, and should like to see the pretty 
red-spotted larva in that grass : ulbifron- 
tclla we know frequents A. caspitosa, but 
wc are not aware that either E. atri- 
comella or luticomella feeds on it.] 
MEMORABILIA FOR APRIL. 
Lepidoptera. — The ensuing week is 
that in which the first white butterflies 
are generally noticed in the south of 
England. In the early season of 1840 
we took Anthocharis Cardamines before 
the 15th of April. 
Xylocampa lithorhiza is found now, 
not uncommonly on palings ; but there 
are rarer insects to he looked for, such 
for instance as Aleucis pictaria and Lo- 
phopteryx Carmelita : the last-named in- 
sect has been getting gradually com- 
moner for several seasons ; perhaps this 
spring it may he more plentiful than 
ever, so keep a sharp look-out on the 
trunks of birches, and on palings in their 
vicinity. 
Ennomos illuslraria is also to be ex- 
pected about this time, and is a likely 
insect to be attracted to light. 
But now should those who purpose 
breeding Noctua bestir themselves and 
look out for the larvae of Folia tincta, 
Noctua ditrapezium, and other com- 
moner species. 
Triphana fimbria is no rarity now ; 
but many who read these lines may not 
possess it. By searching young birch 
shrubs at night with a lantern, some of 
these omnivorous Noctua larvae will be 
found to have left their diurnal sejour 
among the withered leaves on the 
ground, and to have crawled up the 
stems, and to be busily engaged on 
the fresh, juicy, half-expanded leaves of 
the young birches. Some who go in 
search of these larva) may visit the same 
localities by day ; now on a bright sunny 
afternoon a clump of young birches 
ought certainly to produce some speci- 
mens of the genus Microptcryx. Queer 
things those Micropteryces are! Who 
would ever think they were moths ? 
Some doubt yet whether they are moths : 
but several species are about, and some 
of them, such as Sparmannella and Salo - 
piella are in considerable request: they 
may be taken by beating birches, holding 
your net beneath the branches on which 
you indict the thrashing, or they may be 
obtained by sweeping the branches. 
