200 THE entomologist's record, 



the brood. It seems strange that a brood of larvae' should vary so widely 

 after their first moult, and yet be so alike (comparatively speaking) in 

 their last stage. 



The following has occurred to me as a possible explanation : — The 

 larvae, until the first moult, are quite black, and they feed gi-egariously 

 until the third moult. When feeding on a hedge or bush they might 

 easily be overlooked, as the effect of a brood of small black larvas lying 

 close together is to blot out the leaf or leaves they are feeding on, 

 leaving an apparent opening in the hedge, such as would be obtained if 

 one or two leaves were picked off. If, however, the whole brood 

 retained their black colour as they grew larger, the size of the apparent 

 opening or hole in the hedge would become noticeable, but as they 

 vary in colour, they match very well with the bright green leaves and 

 dark spaces between, in fact, if they cleared a patch of leaves, the larvee 

 would themselves (to a certain extent) present the appearance of the 

 missing foliage. No doubt, after the third moult, when they scatter, 

 the bright forms are, as regards colour, by far the best protected. — 

 A. Bacot, Bow House, St, James's Terrace, Clapton, N.E. June 26th, 

 1894. 



Fading of Gj:ometra vernaria and Iodis lactearia, — While col- 

 lecting in a garden here one night, I captured five siDecimens of 

 Geometra vernaria. Three are very perfect, and the gTcen colour very 

 bright. One has the upper wings delicate cream colour tinged with 

 salmon, the white lines quite distinct ; the imder wings bright green, 

 broadly edged with cream colour ; the fifth has scarcely any green 

 colour showing at all, but is too much worn to distinguish. This 

 variation can hardly be owing to the moisture of the atmosphere, as 

 the weather has been so dry lately. I have some ova, and hope to breed 

 them. Is the blue form of Iodis lactearia usual ? At Lyss, in Hampshire 

 where I have collected for some years, I get plenty of the blue variety, the 

 blue being very clear and bright, and also the white, but no gi-een. — 

 (Miss) A. J. Marindin, The Art College, S. Wimbledon. July 2nd. 



[Geometra vernaria is always of a beautiful gi'een tint when bred. 

 The pale creamy and whitish ones are the result of exposure (not 

 necessarily damp), and generally in the course of fading get a pink 

 tinge. Iodis lactearia, we believe, is always bluish-green when freshly 

 emerged from the pupa. A few hours simple exposure to liglit takes 

 the colour out. In fact, the brightest tinted examples become white 

 in the best made cabinets in a very short time. — Ed.]. 



CoLiAS EDUSA VAR. HELiCE. — I saw this spccics near Caterham on 

 22nd May (Whit Monday) at rest on thyme about three p.m. I also 

 met with a single specimen of the normal form of C. edusa a few days 

 previously, and on the same day as I saw var. helice, I came across 

 another normal specimen of edusa. I was unable to distinguish the 

 sexes. — Arthur Lovell Keays, Upwood Tower, Caterliam Valley. 



Small race of Zyg^na filipendul^. — I lately met with a race of 

 very small Zygcena filipendulce with very small red blotches on the 

 front wings, generally coalescing as follows : The 2 basal and either 

 the middle or terminal ones. I have seen this abroad, but never such 

 diminutive specimens. — W. F, de V, Kane, Monaghan, May 25th, 1893. 



