24 THE entomologist's record. 



Another point to wliicli attention is frequently directed is the life- 

 history of insects and the changes through which they pass in their 

 progress from the egg to the perfect state, with a glance from time to time 

 at the anatomical and physiological facts involved in these changes. 

 The process of changing its skin which the caterpillar of every butterfly 

 and moth goes through more or less frequently in the course of its 

 existence, is thus described in connection with the Swallow-tail 

 butterfly. " A plant of wild carrot at our feet is next examined. A 

 little spiny black caterpillar with a white saddle on its back sits in the 

 centre of a leaf, and represents this magnificent butterfly in an early 

 stage, and there, higher up on the same plant, is a magnificent fellow 

 in brilliant green with velvety black rings and orange-golden buttons. 



It is still the same species but of older growth But how does 



the small, black, spiny caterj^illar become changed into a smooth brilliant 

 green one ? Perhaps in the course of our morning's walk we shall be 

 able to learn. Yes ! there is a caterpillar quite at rest in the centre of 

 that wild carrot leaf. Look carefully I You will see that it has spun 

 some white silk on the surface of the leaf, and has firmly fixed the 

 hooks at the end of its feet into the silk to get a firm foothold. It 

 appears sickly and is quite immovable, but presently it jerks itself from 

 side to side, and as we look, the skin splits at the back of tlie head, and 

 a gentle swaying from side to side increases the slit. Then a new head 

 is withdrawn from the old one, put up through the first oj)ening, and the 

 l^reviously immovable caterpillar is now full of life. It struggles and 

 wriggles from side to side, and first one segment and then another is 

 pulled out of the old skin until it is finally free and the emjjty skin is 

 left, sometimes so perfect as to be quite deceptive, whilst the caterj^illar 

 rests after its exertion till its soft skin gets tougher by exposure." 



These must suffice, but it would be easy to fill a very considerable 

 space with equally interesting quotations. — F. J. Buckell, M.B. 



EURRENT NOTES. 



The British Naturalist, we are glad to hear, is not to be allowed to 

 collapse. It will in future be located at Warrington. 



A fine exhibit of Sjrilosoriia zatima was made at the South London 

 Entomological Society's Meeting on Jan. lltli by Mr. W. H. Tugwell, 

 side by side with some picked York varieties. The latter, of course, 

 bear no resemblance to the extreme vars., and it is jieculiar that in 

 those specimens (obtained by crossing zatima with luhriclpeda), which 

 nearest approach the York vars., there is gi'eat difference between the 

 York forms and the hybrids both in the transverse band of dark spots 

 on the fore-wings and the arrangement of the dark spots on the hind- 

 wings. Many correspondents still ask whether zatima and luhricipeda 

 are really the same or closely allied species. 



The Pieris daplidice recorded ante Vol. IV., p. 299, is offered for sale 

 in a contemporary with reference to notice in our pages. Verbum sap. 



We have living larvae of Vanessa ntalanta received from Mr. Wolfe, 

 Skibbereen, Co. Cork. Kather unusual for Jan. 11th. 



Mr. J. A. Clark, F. R.S., has again been re-elected President of the 

 City of London Entomological Society. The members evidently know 

 when they have a good man. 



