196 THE entomologist's eecord. 



addition to a small genus, so far, reported only from Germany and 

 Sweden. It comes nearest to M. porcatus, Payk., from Avhich it is 

 very distinct by its much smaller size, the much feebler raised line 

 on the vertex of the head, the much more rugose sculpture of the head 

 and thorax, and in other points. It has the proportions of M. U'^tsenda, 

 Curtis, but is larger, and has the insterstices of the elytra strongly 

 punctured. A migration of ladybirds. — Dr. G. B. Longstaff 

 exhibited a number of specimens of Cnccinella 11-punctata, L., from 

 the White Nile. On February 16th, 1909, when about 40 miles above 

 Khartum, numerous lady-birds settled upon the steamer — there were 

 probably many hundreds ; they all flew from the east against a slight 

 westerly breeze ; the flight lasted from 4.50 p.m. till nearlj^ 6 p.m., all 

 those taken (25) proved to be Coccinella ll-pinictata, L., a Avidely- 

 distributed species, and apparently the common lady-bird of Egypt 

 and the Soudan, as Dr. Longstaff met with it near Cairo, at Aswan, 

 at Khartum, and 125 miles south of that city at El Duwfim on the 

 White Nile. Swarms of lady-birds in England are alluded to by 

 E. C. Eye (Briti^ih Beetles, p. 228); the occurrence of immense swarms 

 of lady-birds on mountains was referred to by Prof. Poulton, quoting 

 Prof. V. L. Kellogg {Proc. Ent. Soc. Land., 1904, pp. 23 et seq.). Kirby 

 and Spence (7th ed., p. 295) mention having personally witnessed 

 Coccinellae alight upon a ship at sea. An Arabian Scaeabaeid in 

 Egypt. — Dr. G. B. Longstaff also exhibited a Srarabaeus since 

 identified as S. co))ipressic<)r)iis, Kby., an Arabian species. A Brazilian 

 Castniid Moth in Dorset. — Prof. E. B. Poulton exhibited an example 

 of the rare Castniid moth, Castnia therapon, Kollar (a Brazilian 

 species), taken flying in his conservatory at Broadstone, Dorest, by 

 Dr. A. R. Wallace, F.R.S. The insect was captured on December 

 26th, 1908, and the empty pupa-case was found among the roots of a 

 Stanhopea, which had been sent to Dr. Wallace from Buenos Ayres. 



W" ARI AT ION. 



Cyaniris semiargus ab. initia, Tutt. — I have lately taken several 

 examples of (_'. se)iiiar(iiii< of a form that I have never yet remarked. 

 The hindwings are provided with an outer margin of Avhite eye-spots, 

 seven or eight of them placed as the marginal spots of Poh/oniDiatKs 

 awandiis are, following the curve of the wing. I have already noted 

 a few parallel cases in Ciipido ^niniiiuts, and one in C. sebrus. This 

 tendency to develop an outer row of spots should be atavic, and it 

 seems advisable to draw attention to the suggestion. (Tlaiicopsi/che 

 melanops have, very frequently, this outer marginal series in a more or 

 less rudimentary state, but 1 have never seen a specimen of 6r. cyllarus 

 showing this tendency, indeed, this species appears to me to be very 

 specialised.— P. A. H. Muschamp, F.E.S., Staefa. June 28«/(, 1909. 

 [This form is described at length in A ]Sat. Hist. Brit. Butts., x., p. 268, 

 together with various stages of development, until, in var. persica, the 

 full Plebeiid spotting is reached. No doubt the oriental form is the 

 older, and the various European and Asiatic races without the marginal 

 series of eyes and lunules, developments therefrom. Mr. Muschamp 

 (and others) will, no doubt, find in our account of the underside 

 spotting of this species {np. eit. pp. 259-263) the necessary facts to 

 bear out the suggestion of atavism, in the persistence of the pale 

 marginal spots occurring now aberratioually in ab. initia. — Ed.] . 



