NOTES ON COLLECTING. 13T 



:]^OTES ON LIFE-HISTORIES, LARVAE, &c. 



Egglaying habit of Polygonia c-album. — As there appears to be 

 some uncertainty as to the position in which the egg of this butterfly 

 is laid under natural conditions, it may be of interest to record that, of 

 37 eggs found on Urtica dioica, in Monmouthshire recently, by some 

 friends and myself, all but two were placed on the upperside of the 

 leaves, most of them being near or on the serrated edges at some 

 distance from the stem of the plant. The two eggs found on the 

 undersides of the leaves were close to the edge, and possibly when 

 laid were placed on what was really the upper surface, owing to the 

 curling of the leaves. In only one instance were two eggs found on 

 one leaf, and these were rather more than i" apart, one on the edge, 

 and the other towards the centre, both being near the tip of the leaf. 

 In two other instances two eggs were found on leaves growing on the 

 same stem, but, in each case, there was one Qgg only on a leaf, and it 

 appears probable that the usual habit of the species is to deposit its 

 eggs singly. — A. L. Raywaed, F.E.S., Croydon. April '■l^nd, 1909. 



Jg^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Lepidopterological notes from Portugal. — A friend of mine 

 visiting south Portugal last March, was good enough to take a net 

 and bring back a few butterflies. The following were taken at Mont 

 Estoral, to the south-west of Lisbon, on March 20th. Calloplirys ruhi, 

 one 3- and two $ s, all are var. intermedia, and one of the $ s comes 

 very close to var. fervida, and is markedly iridescent ; the g is ab. 

 caecus, the others are ab. hipunctata, the centre spot being very faint. 

 Fapilid niac/iaon, Pieris brassicae, two g s one ? , var. chariclea, with 

 underside hindwings very thickly powdered with dark scales. Pieris 

 rapae, one g , approaching var. manni, Mayer. Anthocharis helemia, 

 not uncommon, with silvery ground colour underside hindwing. 

 Colias edusa, Porar{/e wej/oera and P. efjeria. In addition to these, was a 

 single S Fidonia jibonistraria.—A. S. Tetley, M. A., 22, Avenue Road, 

 Scarborough. May 1st, 1909. 



Dasypolia templi at Swanage. — It may be worth recording that I 

 took a fine 5 specimen of />. teiitpliat sugar, on April 23rd, 1909. I& 

 not this insect of rare occurrence in the south of England ? — Leonard 

 Tatchell, Kai'enza, Swanage, Dorset. May 2Srd, 1909. 



Times of appearance of Limenitis Camilla and L. Sibylla.— 

 Dr. Keynes' account of a visit to Eclepens, I read with the peculiar 

 interest of one who has paid the locality a good deal of attention, but 

 I was surprised at the statement that, while Limenitis sibylla was (as 

 it always is) extraordinarily abundant, June 27th-29th, L. Camilla 

 " was only just beginning to appear." In my experience, L. Camilla 

 is always earlier by some days than L. sibylla. Is not the possible 

 explanation rather that, at Eclepens, L. Camilla is very scarce .' I have 

 only taken it at quite the bottom of the lower road. Only a few years 

 ago it was supposed that it did not occur at all in the locality (vid. 

 Ent. liec, vol. xix., p. 104).— Frank E. Lowe, M.A., St. Stephen's 

 Vicarage, Guernsey. May 21st, 1909. 



Lepidoptera in May at Cuxton. — Great abundance of Geometrii> 



