Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 4 (1846).djvu/342

1508 Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos at Cambridge. — Caterpillars at Cambridge, feed- ing on what is there called the " tea-tree," full-grown at the end of July ; one in a very warm situation became a perfect insect by the middle of September. A perfect insect was also caught near Cambridge in the early part of the year. I mention these, be- cause of the times of appearance, which, to my very limited experience, seems unusual. — John Wolley; Beeston, near Nottingham, October 3rd, 1846.

Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos at Chipping Norton. — A very fine specimen of this great insect flew into a grocer's shop in this town, about eight o'clock in the eve- ning of September 24th, probably attracted by the sweets the place contained ; it was soon captured, and is in nearly a perfect state, and appears to have but a short time previously emerged from the chrysalis. I had several larvae of this insect, all of which went into the earth between the 26th of July and 1st of August. Since which time, two chrysalides have been dug up in the potato fields. I examine my boxes frequently with the hope of finding them risen again. — T. Goatley; Chipping Norton, Oxon, October 3rd, 1846.

Occurrence of the larvæ of Acherontia Atropos near Cambridge. — A considerable number of the larvae of Acherontia Atropos were found in the vicinity of the town, in July, feeding upon the common tea-tree, potato, &c. As far as I have been able to ascertain, not less than thirty-four were found. Those I had I reared (dating from the pupa) in less than twenty-one days, by placing them between the folds of flannel, and subjecting them to a moderate degree of heat. — T. Brown; 15, Bridge Street, Cambridge, September 21st, 1846.

Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos near Leicester. — The remarkable commonness of this species in the vicinity of Leicester this year, is very difficult to account for. About the 20th of last July, and up to the middle of August, the larva appeared simultaneously in great numbers at different villages, on a common garden shrub called the tea-tree, upon which they thrived when unmolested ; and when bred in confine- ment, all the specimens seemed healthy when changing to the chrysalis state. The circumstance of so many large larvae appearing, attracted the attention of people other- wise but little interested in Entomology ; but whose interest, however, was mainly di- rected to the disposal of the specimens for a pecuniary consideration. The only re- corded instances of this moth being captured in this county, before the present, are two taken by myself in 1840, and one by a friend in 1842, — John Plant; Leicester, September 28th, 1846.

Occurrence of Acherontia Atropos near Hessle-upon-Humber. — I have to record the capture of five caterpillars of Acherontia Atropos, by some labourers whilst digging potatoes near this place. — George Burton, Jun.; Hessle-upon-Humber, September 9th, 1846.

On the occurrence of the larvæ of the Death's-head Hawk-moth at Clonmel. — For some weeks back the caterpillars of the death's-head hawk-moth have been found in this immediate neighbourhood in considerable numbers. About twenty have come into my possession, having been got in the potato grounds about here, and have pro- bably been discovered much easier on account of the disease of the stalks of this plant than they would have been, had not such been the case. I have not known an in- stance before of the occurrence of this insect here in this stage, a few have been got in the perfect state. — Robert Davis, Jun.; Clonmel.

Capture of the larvæ of Acherontia Atropos near Morpeth, Northumberland. — The following paragraph appeared in the 'Newcastle Journal' of the 3rd of August :