268 THE entomologist's record. 



4. Miscellaneous. 1911. 



Charpigny, July 3rd, 1911. 

 " Looking at ray Brenthis s-elene to-day, I see if you cannot get any 

 at the Meienthal, you might perchance get almost the identical forms 

 in the Murgthal, September 3rd, 1904. The only difference I can see 

 (I have only one from the Murgthal) is that the Wassen flies are a 

 shade lighter in general colour underside. Also in the underside hind- 

 wing the black centre of the largest red spot in the band next body, is 

 rather more obscured with yellow dust. There is some of this dust on 

 the Meienthal flies on the same spot, but much less on specimens from 

 other parts .... I got three Apatum iria at Charpigny. There 

 are some every day on the trees north and east of La Tete. A friend 

 got Lycaena areas and six or seven fine Coenoiujnipha tiphon on the 

 Aigle skating ground." 



[The form of Drenthin selene referred to has purple suffusion com- 

 parable to Brenthis pales ab. napaea. — G.W.] 



Certain Egyptian Urbicolids. 



By Capt. p. p. graves, F.E.S. 

 During the last two months I have had some opportunity on odd 

 afternoons, when military work has not been too pressing, of paying 

 some attention to the habits of certain Urbicolids of Egypt. These 

 are Chapra mathias, Baoris zelleri, Gegenes nostrodainus and Hesperia 

 evanida [amenophis, Rev.). 



1. Chapra mathiax. — At the date of writing, October 25th, Chap) a 

 mathias is practically over. It was pretty frequent in August, Septem- 

 ber and the early part of the present month, always in or near culti- 

 vated ground. I took a specimen in the third week in March this 

 year and am of opinion that there are two or three broods of this fine 

 " skipper," if indeed it is not continuously brooded during the hot 

 season. 



C\ matJtias is a stronger and faster flier than any of its relatives in 

 this country. When startled it disappears like a flash, and though 

 approachable when feeding on any attractive blossom, or late in the 

 afternoon when it rests with closed wings on clods of earth, stones and 

 sometimes on the branches of shrubs, it is not an insect one can afford 

 to miss. In the heat of the day it sometimes developes the habit of 

 flying up and down at top speed, usually in front of, and along, a wall 

 facing the sun, or up and down a path or the side of a road. 



I have not yet been able to note any amatory displays on the part 

 of this insect, save the chasing at top speed of a $ by a J . I have 

 seen one $ oviposit on what appeared to me to be a rice-plant. The 

 egg was laid with remarkable speed and absence of preliminary 

 explorations at the junction of a blade and the stem proper of the 

 rice-grass. 



2. Baoris zelleri was out in September at Meadi, a suburb of 

 Cairo, on the Helouan Kailway. There it occurred — alas, usually in 

 bad order — in gardens and in shady places such as hedges, under trees, 

 etc. I have a strong impression that B. zelleri, in its typical form at 

 any rate, requires some shade and moisture. I have never yet taken it 

 in open ground in Egypt, and my only Syrian zelleri was netted in the 

 hottest and moistest part of the Dog River Valley, near Beirut. In 



