THE NATURALISTS’ JOURNAL. 
19O 
success. I took one flying at dusk and saw two others. Among the diurni, I 
have taken very few, only S. celgeria, G. rhamni , P. napi, A. cardamines , L. 
argiolus. I have bred O. pudibunda from larvae collected in the hop fields in 
1893. The first emerged on March 17, being just fourteen days later than last 
year.—H. W. Ford-Lindsay, Hastings, April 18, 1894. 
Vanessa C-album , at Ludlow .—I saw two specimens of this beautiful butter¬ 
fly on March 18th. They were flying along the road-side, a little way out of 
the town, and were in splendid condition, retaining nearly all their pristine 
beauty. My entomological ardour was at once fired and I immediately gave 
chase, my “bowler” doing duty for a net for the time being, by a little 
circuitous mancevuring, I managed to get on the “blind” side of the one, I 
made a quick, bold stroke and secured—a leaf, while C-album sailed gracefully 
over the hedge. This is my first date for butterflies this year, although last 
year I noticed N. atalanta on March 10th but did not see V. C-album until 
Maich 30th. I may add that the day was beautifully fine, the sun shining 
quite strong in the morning. I have never seen hybemated specimens in a 
better condition, they having evidently “ wintered well.” I also saw a wasp 
(Vespa vulgaris ) on the 15th, and I had another brought me on the 17th. 
N. lucina .— A gentleman from London, was down here last week, who is an 
ardent entomologist, he only had on* 3 good sunny day, but on that day, he 
managed to capture Vanessa C-album , Nemeobius lucina , Lyccena argiolus, 
Hesperia alveolus , Argynnis euph.ro syne, Anthocaris card amines, Pieris rapee, 
P. napi and Vanessa, Io , the last would be an hibernated* specimen. This 
is the first time to my knowledge that N. lucina hae occurred here and the 
same remark applies to L. argiolus, I have never caught either myself nor 
have I seen them before in this district, but the first opportunity that I 
have, I will try and secure same. I had a splendid specimen of the buff- 
tip moth (Pygcera bucephala) come out in my breeding cage.—E.H. Black- 
MORE, m.p.n.s., 13, Bull Ring, Ludlow, May 10, 1894. 
Dactylopius citri .—At the February meeting of the Guernsey Natural 
Science Society a female specimen of this coccid was exhibited bv Mr. Luff 
who had found it upon an orange and sent to England for indentification. It 
was in a perfectly lively condition having survived the perils of packing and 
transit, thus showing how insect pests may be spread from one country to 
another. 
ZOOPHYTES. 
Sense of taste in Zoophytes. — An Actinia mesembryanthemum which has 
been living in one of my aquaria for nearly eighteen years is very particular 
about its food and will eat nothing but scraped beef, rejecting at once, after 
touching it with its tentacles, mutton or any other kind of flesh meat, and even 
fish. — A. H. Waters. 
PLANTS. 
Early Flowers .—In April I saw the following in flower Orchis maculata, 
cardamine pratensis, Vicia sativa, Cornus sanguinea Geranium lucidum, 
Galeobdolon luteum, Ranunculus acris, and Crataegus oxyacantha. — Rev. A. 
C. Denman Fivehead, Taunton Somerset. [Our correspondent should have 
given us the exact dates.— Ed.] 
The Rev. Dr. Heurtlev (Margaret Professor of Divinity, Oxford), describes a 
remarkable instance of vitality in seeds. Several years ago he made a garden 
for a new house built in a field whose soil had remained undisturbed, probably 
for centuries. Though not a single cowslip had appeared in the field previously, 
when spring came, cowslips sprang up on all sides in the garden and continued 
to do so for several years .—English Churchman. 
