88 THE entomologist's record. 



windows had lines of web spun on the panes of glass, showing w-here 

 larvfe had travelled upwards, and they even entered the house to 

 pupate on the window^ frames and ceilings. Luckily, Apanteles 

 (jloineratits was ready for them, and I should imagine a good percentage 

 was accounted for, judging from the numerous patches of yellow 

 cocoons everywhere. Besides the cocoons of the parasites, I was rather 

 surprised to find several pupae of the Pierids on tree-trunks, suspended 

 below" the lower branches and a few even attached to the upper 

 cladodes of Huscas aciileatiis in the shrubbery. P. rapae, P. napi, 

 Eueldo'e cardawines, Gonepteryx rliamni. Polygonia c-albuiii keeps more 

 to the warmer slopes of the valley, but I met wath two specimens of 

 the second brood about 500 feet above sea-level going to heather 

 blossom. At/laifi iirticae was exceedingly common, and a large flower- 

 ing privet-bush in my garden was an interesting and pretty sight with 

 these gay butterflies swarming on it, in company with other common 

 butterflies, and a multitude and variety of bees and flies. A week or 

 two later, Vanessa io, also very common, frequented the same bush in 

 numbers. Fyrameis atalanta was not uncommon about the fallen fruit 

 in October. P. cardiii. — I only saw one, a fresh -looking specimen 

 flying round some thistles by the riverside, on August 27th. Dryas 

 paphia. — I saw one only, a <? , extracting the sweets from the privet 

 blossom in my garden. My father tells me he found it rather less 

 common on the Monmouthshire side of the river. Aryynnis adippe. 

 Brenthis enpln-osyne. — Towards the end of May, I had the great pleasure 

 of seeing this species in countless numbers swarming in some lately 

 cleared woodland, and also on the rough, heathy, and bushy slopes of 

 the valley. Heaps of dry faggots, trimmings from the felled timber, 

 partly overgrown with brambles, honeysuckle, and various other plants, 

 were a great attraction to this butterfly, round which they loved to flit, 

 frequently settling on the dry sticks with wings displayed to enjoy the 

 warmth of the sun. I was interested in seeing how " tame " this 

 species is, and how slowly it flies, when in the company of a multitude 

 of its own kind ; so different from the swiftness of casual specimens 

 observed during a poor year, or wanderers from their special haunts. 

 I kept a good lookout for aberrations, and took one, in shocking con- 

 dition, with the spots in the basal area of all the wings much enlarged 

 and coalescing ; but the majonty were disappointingly typical, and 

 did not vary much excepting that on the upperside the number of spots 

 in the row between the basal markings and the border varied on the 

 hindwing from five to six, the upper one being sometimes absent ; 

 and, on the underside, the corresponding row- on the forewing varied in 

 a similar manner, but, in this case, it was the lowest spot which was 

 not always present. On May 24th I spent some time studying the 

 habits of the females when ovipositing. Mr. Tutt notes {Fhit. Eec, 

 xix., p. 232), when observing this butterflj- for the same purpose, that 

 he found several eggs on violet, although the actual operation of egg- 

 laying was not observed. I was lucky enough to see two females ovi- 

 posit, yet did not see either do so on violet. The butterfly floats very 

 leisurely round and about the bushes, skimming just above the tops 

 of the herbage, seeking a plant to suit her purpose, and considering 

 she does not invariably select the pabulum of the larva, takes great 

 pains in making her choice. After alighting on a plant, evidently 

 found to be suitable, she rests so that the sun shines on her outspread 



