132 
THE SUBSTITUTE. 
means proof against injury if the 
box gets crushed in the post, or a 
pin conies out; the former acci- 
dent is best guarded against by 
using a box sufficiently strong to 
resist the efforts of the post-office 
stampers, who I fancy are selected 
for their muscular strength, and 
enveloping the same (the box, not 
the stampers) in cotton wadding, 
which adds little or nothing to the 
weight. The other casualty is 
avoided by fixing the pins well in, 
using cross pins with heavy in- 
sects, and by putting a lump of 
cotton on the top of all, which 
will arrest the movements of any 
stray insect which might, after 
all, break loose, and prevent its 
doing injurv to itself or comrades. 
— Georg K Go yon. 
Acherontia Atropos. — In the 
last ‘Substitute’ Mr. Morris has 
stated his opinion of there being 
some puzzle iu the short period 
assigned to Acherontia Atropos for 
its final transformation. If the 
following facts are of any use they 
are at your disposal. I had three 
larvm of Atropos last year nearly 
full grown ; one entered the earth 
on the Hth of September, another 
on the 27th, and the third on the 
2nd of October, 1855. Their cage 
was kept within the house until 
one emerged from its jiujia state 
on the 28th of September, 1856, 
quite perfect, and another on the 
30th of September, 1856, with 
, crippled wings. At the end of 
October I found the third pupa 
was dead. I had one hirva this 
autumn brought to me two inches 
long on the 27th of September ; it 
led on jiotato leaves, and at the 
end of nine days had attained the 
length of dj- inches; it then 
ceased to feed, and became black 
in three days, when it died. By 
this it appears the larva existence 
is very brief, and the pupa of con- 
siderable duration. — William 
Buckler, Lumley Cottage, Ains- 
worth ; December 18, 1856. 
OBITUARY. 
We regret to have to announce 
the death of two entomologists, 
who, but six weeks ago, acceded 
to the wish of the editor of the 
‘.Entomologist’s Annual’ in allow- 
ing their names to appear in the 
Supplemental List of British En- 
tomologists: we allude to Mr. 
Thomas Fathers, of Witney (who 
contributed two notices to the ‘ In- 
telligeucer’ under the signature of 
T. F.) and G S. Hcales, Esq., of 
Doctors Common.', who, though 
comparatively an idler in these 
busy times for entomologists, was 
well known to the frequenters of 
the Annual Reunions of the Ento- 
mological Club, at Birch Wood, 
for his agreeable bonhommie. 
Now ready, price Gd., No. 4 of 
'I LEM ENTS OF ENTOMO- 
-Lj logy : an Outline of the 
Natural History and Classifica- 
tion of British In.sects. 
By W. S. Dallas, F.L S. 
John Van Voorst, 1, Paternos- 
ter How. 
Printed and imblisbtd byEuwAUD Nkw- 
MAN, Primer, of No. !>, Devonshire 
.Street, Jii.sliopsgate Witliout, London, 
in the county of Middlesex. — Saturday, 
January 3, IS67. 
