32 THE entomologist's record. 



it may be taken by opening and searching the tufts of grass which 

 grow on the mountain sides ; the number taken by this method 

 averaging about ten in an hour. 21/. epip/irnn is on the wing as early 

 as 6.40 a.m., and continues in flight until about 4.0 p.m. ; there is a 

 slight break about noon, and it appears to be most abundant between 

 two and four in the afternoon. After the latter hour, the numbers 

 seen in flight gradually decrease, and they can then be found at rest 

 on the grass stems. As evening draws on, they make their way into 

 the centres of the grass-tufts, and can then only be found, as on wet 

 days, by opening and carefully searching the tufts of grass. On a fine, 

 bright day, in suitable localities, one may be sure to find M. epiphmn 

 gently flitting to and fro like flakes of soot carried by the breeze ; but 

 sunshine is necessary to tempt the species take to flight. I have noted its 

 habits on days with dull and bright intervals, and have found the 

 insects during the dull periods sitting low amongst the herbage, very 

 often on the flowers of Tormentilla, with wings widespread, waiting 

 for the sun to break forth. As soon as they feel the influence of the 

 sun's rays, they close and open their wings a few times before gently 

 taking flight. To and fro they flit, generally about two feet above the 

 ground. The flight is somewhat W'eak, and M. epiphron would be an 

 easy insect to capture, but for the fact that there is generally a breeze 

 blowing more or less strongly in the localities inhabited by the species, 

 and the insect either permits, or cannot prevent, its being carried by 

 the breeze, very often quite out of the range of sight. 



It is generally between two and four in the afternoon, the favourite 

 time of flight, when pairing takes place. Apparently the ? is not 

 possessed of strong powers of attraction, for only once have I noticed 

 more than one <? attracted by a " calling " ? , and, in this instance, 

 as soon as pairing was accomplished, the second ^ settled within a 

 few inches of the paired insects, and shew^ed no further interest. In 

 the case of M. epiphron, the courtship is very simple, and is quite 

 devoid of those aerial evolutions or other elaborate preliminaries 

 exhibited by some species of llliopalocera. The $ , when "calling," 

 sits low on a grass stem, and appears very much agitated, constantly 

 moving her body, both in a lateral and vertical direction. As soon as 

 the 3' appears on the scene, he also exhibits much agitation, but, 

 gently fluttering down, takes a few short flights from one blade of 

 grass to another, and soon finds the 5 . Up to the point of actual 

 contact, the ? has had its wangs fully expanded, jerking them slightly 

 at intervals, but, upon copulation taking place, it immediately folds 

 them over its back. The insects appear to be very sluggish w^hen 

 paired, for several times I tried unsuccessfully to make a pair fly in 

 the hope of finding out which sex would lead when they took flight. 



It is b}- no means a difficult matter to induce the J insect to 

 deposit ova; in fact it is not at all unusual to find ova in one's collect- 

 ing boxes after a collecting expedition, and, in this connection, I should 

 like to record the fact of a number of ova being laid by an enclosed ? 

 in a small glass-topped box between 9.80 p.m. and 6 a.m., on July 

 28rd-24th, 1907. 



With a view to observing the ovipositing habits, I placed some 5 s 

 which I took on July 21st, 1907, in a glass-sided cage containing a 

 sod of grass, and placed the cage where it would receive the sun's rays. 

 On July 22nd, only one ovum was noticed ; on the 28rd, seven ova 



