to THE entomologist's record. 



pation. The exposed pupa of A. grossulariata is bright shining 

 black, with pale yellow segmental rings. The underground pupa of 

 A. ulmata is of the usual dull brown colour. 



Species which pupate near tree trunks contrive, when the imagines 

 emerge, to make straight for the trunk, up which they climb, for 

 wing-expansion. The wings of A. nlmata, on the other hand, expand 

 whilst the insect is resting on a stem of bracken or other low plant. 

 It then sits perfectly exposed on the upper surface of a leaf, resembling 

 in a remarkable degree the droppings of a wood-pigeon, or other bird. 

 This curious resemblance is shared by the imago of Cilir spinula, and 

 by the larva of Jocheaera alni, prior to its last moult. When evening 

 comes, A. tilmata flies up to and about the elms, and does not descend 

 again to the lower herbage. 



This species is easy to rear in confinement, but I have never 

 succeeded in producing imagines of normal size. Elm leaves are 

 exceedingly dry, and most difficult to keep in a natural condition. 

 Possibly the "poor physique," spoken of by Mr. Tutt, rnay have 

 resulted from the difficulty of keeping the leaves soft and moist. 



Here, though a variable species, it rarely runs to extreme forms. 

 My wife once found one in Castle Eden Dene, almost devoid of mark- 

 ings. This was figured in Mosiey's Illustrations. I have never met 

 with any with the ground colour all slaty, such as I have seen from 

 Yorkshire, but a row of the lightest and a row of the darkest forms we 

 get, present a considerable contrast. 



Aglais urtic£e, with some notes on a third brood. 



By W. GROVEK. 



Taking the season of 1897 as a whole, this species was much less 

 common than is usual here, where in most years it occurs in consider- 

 able abundance. I have never previously met with any indications of 

 a late brood of either larvae or imagines ; in fact, until this year, I have 

 no record of finding larvfe later than the middle of August. It will, 

 perhaps, be best to give a brief record of the species throughout the 

 season. Hybernated examples were (like nearly everything else) very 

 late, the first not being seen before April 13th ; they quickly became 

 fairly common, however, and numerous examples were observed 

 pairing on April 26th, and others on various dates during the first 

 fortnight in May. Small larvffi were taken on May 25th ; these fed up 

 rather quickly, and pupated June 13th-16th. These larvfe were much 

 infested with dipterous parasites, nearly half of them failing to pupate 

 from that cause. Freshly emerged imagines were observed out of 

 doors on June 18th, but none were bred until June 30th, the last of 

 the batch emerging on July 3rd. Half-grown larvae were noticed again 

 on July 25th. A few freshly emerged imagines were observed on August 

 14th ; they were more numerous on the 18th, and continued on the wing 

 in fair numbers until the end of the first week in September, after which 

 the species became scarce. In point of numbers the second brood was 

 quite equal — if not superior — to the first, which is the reverse of the 

 general rule. 



I was surprised to find two broods of larvas on September 10th. 

 The first brood — seventy in number — were the most advanced, the 



