1881. 
171 
between June 16th and July 10th, three of them fell to my lot, the 
result of three mornings’ work. The species seems to have been on 
the wing for a long time, as I took a J' on May-day, and Mrs. Fletcher 
a $ on July 12th in very fair condition. Several of the larva) were 
taken in August and September off oak and beech. Amongst the 
JSfoctiKB, I may mention the larvae of Cymatophora ridens as being 
common on oak in J une and July, of 0. duplciris and Acrony eta leporina 
on alder and birch in August, of Orthosia lota on sallow in the spring, 
and of Erastria fuscula in September on the long grasses growing 
under the fir-trees in tho enclosures. I believe that the larvae of 
Sadena contigua were plentiful on Salix repens and ELyrica gale 
towards the end of the summer, but, unfortunately, I did not learn to 
know this larva until they had nearly all pupated, when Miss Grolding- 
Bird kindly told me that the few remaining in my cage belonged to 
this species. I must now end these already too lengthy notes with an 
account of the unusual number of Acronycta alni , which have been 
taken in the Forest this year. About the middle of June, Mr. Greorge 
Tate took a female of this species at rest on an old hawthorn. On 
July 17th, Mrs. Fletcher took a larva in the “ bird’s dropping ” stage, 
and between this date and the end of the third week in August, one 
hundred and ninety larvae were taken to my knowledge, thirty-six 
having fallen to the lot of my wife and self. By far the greater number 
of these were taken off alder, though several came off beech and oak, 
a few off birch, and I saw Mr. Norgate take one off hawthorn. Un- 
fortunately, the saying, “No rose without a thorn ” holds good with 
regard to these larvae, for they are infested with parasites. First of 
all, there is a solitary grub which comes out of the larva when it would 
cast off its “ bird’s-dropping ” skin, and don its gorgeous livery, and 
spins a piebald cocoon ; then there are, I think, two gregarious species 
which, in parties of from four to twelve, crawl out of their victim 
when it should pupate and make dark-red cocoons ; these pests have 
already reduced my stock to twenty, while my friends, Job’s comforters 
indeed, tell me that were I to open the sticks thought to contain pupae 
of alni , I should find yet more blood-red cocoons, and also that there 
is another species of parasite making its pupa within that of its victim. 
Should, however, any of these destroyers prove to be of interest, I 
shall hope to be able to hold them up to the execration of Lepidopterists 
in the pages of a future number of the E. M. M. 
Bersted Lodge, Bognor, Sussex : 
December 10 th, 1880. 
