172 THE entomologist's record. 



miicli of the same tint as the female insect ; the manner of fluttering 

 evidently showing that it mistook the leaf for a female ; and after a 

 time, finding its mistake, flew off, only to return on three successive 

 occasions before it was fully satisfied of its error. I saw two other 

 males behave in a similar manner towards other leaves. Strange to 

 say, a week later, I made another similar observation at Cuxton. — 

 J. W. TuTT. May, 1893. 



Embryonic development of Xanthia aurago. — In Mr. Tutt's 

 interesting notes on the genus Xanthia in the Ent. Becord for last 

 March, he quotes the Eev. J. Hellins as noting that the ova of aurago 

 hybernate without any perceptible development of the future larva. 

 As a general statement this is certainly incorrect, for a female aurago 

 I took at ivy on October 28th, 1892, laid 28 eggs during the following- 

 week, which began to change to a purplish colour on November 4th, 

 and within ten days all had assumed the leaden hue characteristic of 

 the presence of the growing larva. I should think most probably that 

 Mr. Hellins' ova Avere an exception, and that the growing larva? of 

 aurago do hybernate in the egg as a rule. My larva^ emerged during 

 the last week of March, and fortunately took kindly to the buds of the 

 birch, fiom which I removed the outer coverings. They seem to creep 

 into the buds, and m(3st often are even now invisible, and only show 

 signs of their existence by frass. The beech here is still only in bud, 

 though some of the oak and ash trees even have voung leaves already. 

 ~W. S. EiDiNG, April ISth, 1893. 



ARIATION. 



Variation in Halias prasinana. — I met with a specimen of this 

 species last year with very broad silver fascia (central shade ?) in the 

 middle of the Aving, and having obtained some eggs therefrom, have 

 reared a iew moths. The females, as usual, shoAv this silvery central 

 shade more than the males, but there is not amongst them one at all 

 remarkable in this respect ; they were fed on oak. An odd larva 

 picked up on birch has produced a yellow variety, a very unsatis 

 factory form, as, had I not bred it, I should have settled that it had 

 attained this colour by fading with weather, or by some chemical 

 application, the colour being a faded yellowish olive green, rather 

 than a tint entitled to be called yellow, — T. A. Chapman, Firl^ank, 

 Hereford. 



Variation, in Abra?cas gkossulariata. — In view of the remarks 

 in previous issues regarding varieties of the above insect, my experience 

 (or luck) last year may be of interest. I had occasion to be in Inver- 

 keithing, Fife, for a day toAvards the end of May, and while there 

 picked off a dozen pupje of this species from the Avooden supports of 

 the currant bushes in my friend's garden, simply to renew my series, 

 and of those dozen tAvo of the resulting imagines Avere A'arieties. 

 One with yellow entirel}' replacing the Avhite, both on the upper and 

 loAver Avings ; the other, Avith, only the upper wings yellow, the lower 

 being almost normal. — Douglas Walker, Glasgow. 



