^^^^ AND ^^^^ 



JOURNAL OF VARIATION. 



No. 7. Vol. IV. July 15th, 1893. 



yiBEI^I^yi'l'lOrl^ op Bl^Il'l^fl BlJl'1'EI^J^LIE^. 



(WITH PLATE). 



By C. NICHOLSON. 



Papilio machaon. — The somewhat unusual variety of Papilio machaon 

 shown on Plate D. (fig. 1) was bred by my friend, Mr. W. H. Jackson, 

 of Walthamstow, in May, 1887, from a pupa obtained from the late 

 Thomas Eedle, of Goldsmith's Eow, Hackney Eoad, which pupa 

 probably came from Wicken Fen. It was recorded in the Entomologist 

 for 1888 (Vol. xxi). As will be seen from the plate, the two larger 

 l)lack costal blotches are united. The other markings and colour are 

 normal. 



Polyommatus plilieas. — Fig. 6 on the same plate represents a 25i*etty 

 variety of this lively little butterfly, which is also in the cabinet of 

 Mr. Jackson. It was captured by him in August last at Walthamstow. 

 The short white lines on the hind wings in the plate indicate all that is 

 left of the coppery band ; they are seated on the wing-rays. The missing 

 parts of the band are replaced by the blackish ground colour. 



Vaneasa io. — Whilst staying in the New Forest last September I 

 took a specimen of this butterfly having on each fore wing a j^ale and 

 somewhat indistinct spot between the sub-median and third median 

 wing-rays ; that is, in a j)osition corresponding exactly with the 

 squarish black blotch on the fore wings of V. urticce. I find that only 

 one other specimen in my series possesses this sjDot, and this one is also 

 from the New Forest. I presume this is not an unusual marking, 

 though I do not remember having seen any previous mention of it. 

 Mr. Bacot first drew my attention to this mark, and he has at least one 

 similar specimen in his collection. 



V. urticce. — My efforts to breed a decent variety of this insect have 

 always proved unavailing until last year, when my perseverance had 

 its reward. On that occasion my collection of the larvai consisted partly 

 of a brood of about one hundred from some nettles on the bank of the 

 Eiver Lea, at Clapton, and partly of about one hundred collected at 

 random from several brood.s on a patch of nettles at Leigh, Essex. 

 With very few exceptions, all these larvae were about the same size, 

 and all pupated about the same time. The first hundred or so which 

 emerged were the miscellaneous ones from Leigh, and these were 

 mostly typical. The only exceptions of any note were as follows : — Two 



