18 G 
THE entomologist’s RECORD. 
obtain ova, only one deposited, and, forced by the same mysterious 
power which for years had controlled the ovipositing of her ancestors, 
at once commenced operations by probing every portion of the box 
likely to afford a suitable nick or cranny for the reception of her ova, 
but in vain. Nothing daunted, however, she next turned her attention 
to her companion, and after a moment’s deliberation proceeded to 
insert her long ovipositor between the left upper and under wings, and 
disposed of ovum No. i. As it would take up too much space 
to describe all the manoeuvres attending the deposition of each ovum, 
I need only say that on the next morning no less than thirty ova were 
deposited on the under wing and in the interstices between the legs 
auvi thorax. I am keeping the specimen as a curiosity. — D. H. S. 
Steuart, Royal College of Science, Kensington, W. July 2ist^ 
1891. 
Sesia SPHEGiFORMis IN BIRCH. — I bred a specimen of S. sphegiformis 
from birch this year. — A. Robinson, Brettanby Manor, Darlington. 
Larvae of Nemophora fasciellus. — I have, this afternoon, been 
collecting a few larvse of Nemophora fasciellus^ but they were so few 
and far between that I think I must have been too late (I usually go 
for them about April 21st). They are most interesting, and a short 
note on their habits in the larval and pupal states may be interesting. 
I'heir case is a very beautiful one, shaped somewhat like a fiddle, and 
open at both ends; they feed by night, eating holes in the leaves of 
their foodplant {Ballofa nigra), and in the day hide at the roots, where 
it is very difficult to find them, as they do not hold on, but allow them- 
selves to roll further down among the roots when the plant is disturbed; 
and what seems to me a peculiar thing for a case-maker to do — they 
pupate in their cases beneath the surface of the ground. — W. Barren, 
Fern House, Union Road, Cambridge. June, 1891. 
Bombyx quercus larva pupating in August.— Last Saturday, 
29th August, I took in the Warren, Folkestone, a full-fed larva of B. 
querrus which commenced to spin up yesterday. It seems a strange 
time to find a full-fed larva of this species. — W. G. Mackmurdo, 
Aldersbrook, Wanstead. [Normally B. quercus hybernates small, in the 
larval stage in the South of England, although occasionally it does so in 
the pupal stage. In the North of England and in Scotland the insect 
hybernates normally in the pupal stage and becomes what is generally 
known as callunco. — Ed.] 
The Lateness of the Season. — The following dates speak for 
themselves : — August 15th, Notodonta ziczac. 22nd, A. lactana (2). 
24th, N. dictcea. All in fine condition. — C. Fenn, Lee. 
Curious Foodplant of Smerinthus ocellatus. — A fev/ days 
ago I took a larva of this species nearly full-fed on an isolated bush of 
wild plum. No other bushes or trees were within thirty yards. — Id. 
Hadena porphyrea (s.atura) in Cambridgeshire. — I have still 
the capture of another rare species to record. During the last two 
nights of my stay at Wicken, I took from the sugar what I thought 
were Hadena adusta, a species I had nes^er seen alive. As all my 
macros were sent, during the last week of my stay, direct to my friend 
Mr. Page to set, I paid no more attention to them until yesterday, 
when, taking them from the boards, I at once saw the error I had 
made and the value of my captures. The following records of the 
