NOTES ON COLLECTING. 



341 



says {antea, p. 247) about the curious non-appearance of Charaxes 

 jasius in Corsica and Sardinia. Having taken C. jadus in the shape of 

 egg, larva, pupa, and imago on the Esterel several years following, I 

 expected to find it in abundance in Corsica, where the Arhutm unedo 

 is, perhaps, the commonest of all the shrubs forming the Maquis. 

 However, on a visit to Corsica last Easter, at the very best moment for 

 picking up larvae of C. jasius, I was unable to find a single example. 

 Moreover, having visited the collection of the late Mr. Marshall at 

 Ajaccio, I found only a pair of badly worn and chipped insects of 

 doubtful origin. The pitiful local collection of Ajaccio knows not 

 C. jasius. I have, however, seen two examples that were found in 

 Corsica by a friend of mine. The question arises, if two, why not 

 many, given foodplant in abundance and temperature ad hoc ? Mr. 

 Rowland-Brown doubts whether Epinephele nuratf be an inhabitant of 

 Corsica. I found a solitary <? near Bonifaccio. I expect Mr. Row- 

 land-Brown was rather too late and rather too early for Papilio 

 hospitun. I found a fair number, especially at Pianottoli, where, on 

 the top of a little hill belonging to the tavern-keeper there, I netted 

 seven in half-an-hour's work before lunch. Their flight is remarkably 

 rapid and jerky, much more so than that of P. inachaun. Everywhere 

 I found Ocnocjijna cursicum in abundance, flying along the dusty roads, 

 in the valleys, and at Bocognano and other mountainous and cold 

 regions, settled torpid in the midst of the dust itself. The commonest 

 insect was Pararge var. tif/elius, that simply swarmed everywhere. I 

 only found a few worn and chipped last year's imagines of Af/lais 

 ichausa, and saw no sign of larv*. — P. A. H. Muschamp, 20, Ch. des 

 Asters, Geneva. October IQth, 1903. 



Abundance of Apaturids near Lausanne. — On July 20th, in a 

 little wood near Lausanne, I made what I should think to be a record 

 catch of Apaturids in one long morning's work. I netted in all 70 

 Apatura iris, 42 A. ilia, and 17 A. ab. clytie, in decent condition, and I 

 must have thrown away about as many chipped ones. In addition, I 

 took what I am given to understand is a great rarity here, five A. ab. 

 iole and seven transitions. These, with two Liinenitis popidi, ? s, 

 and a number of L. sibilla, and our commoner Argynnids, with a 

 couple of Micropterjjx aureatella, completely loaded me, and I returned 

 without trying what the afternoon hunting might be worth.— Ibid. 



Extended pupal stage of Petasia nubeculosa. — Last year I 

 mentioned that I had two pupas of Petasia nubeculosa that had been in 

 that stage since 1898. Imagines emerged from these in March last, a 

 S on March 18th, and a female on March 21st, 1903. Both were perfect 

 insects. They had existed as pupse through five winters. I may 

 mention that one or two of the same brood have emerged each year — 

 omitting 1899.— G. 0. Day, F.E.S., Knutsford. 



Habits of Sciaphila penziana. — I should be much obliged for 

 exact details as to the foodplants of the larva of Sciaphila penziana, 

 and the time of year at which I could find the larvae, as I should like 

 to try to breed it. It is fairly numerous in its very restricted locality 

 here, and on one evening last August I found over 20. I had an idea 

 that the larva fed on lichen growing on rocks, but I find all the 

 newest specimens on stones on the slopes below the rocks, and about 

 the end of their time of appearance, when they are getting worn, they 

 are mostly found on the rocks at all heights. I found one example 



