110 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



of that species out of the Artemisia ; I fancy I have heard that some 

 of our northern collectors also get it from the same food -plant ; is that 

 not so ? Dr. Freer's note now supplies the further information that 

 both species (or forms) will feed in a state of nature on tansy. Should 

 any London entomologists want to rear them in their own gardens, they 

 will find that they thrive well on chrysanthemum. I have frequently 

 tried, during the last few years, to get eggs from E. siibfulvata by 

 confining it in a chip-box with sprigs of ragwort, yarrow, etc. ; but 

 having failed, I decided this year to try giving it a little more space. 

 Having captured a tolerably fresh $ (on Aug. 9th), I placed her in a 

 glass jam jar, covered over with muslin, and gave her a piece of rag- 

 wort with a good head of flowers (which I " sugared "—having 

 several times noticed that this insect has a fancy for ragwort flowers), 

 and also a piece of mugwort. The result was that over 200 eggs were 

 laid, all on the latter plant, and though a good many of the latest 

 did not hatch, I reared a good batch of the larvae. I also collected on 

 September 11th, by night searching, about twenty larvffi on mugwort, 

 which were without doubt those of E. succenturiata. The colour was 

 decidedly darker and duller than any of the E, sub/ulvata, but there 

 was very little other difference ; though the dorsal pattern appeared, 

 as noticed by Crewe, to be slightly different in shape. Both species 

 were fed with mugwort until I returned to London on September 21st, 

 and then with chrysanthemum ; so there is no possibility of assuming 

 the differences to be due to food-plant; but the -EJ. sub/ulvata weve 

 very constant in colour, and it must not be forgotten that they were 

 all from one batch of eggs, and that heredity may probably have had 

 considerable influence. 



One or two further points which occur to me as indicating that the 

 two insects in question must be very specialised forms, if not perfectly 

 good species are, (1) the absence of E. succenturiata in some districts 

 where E. suhfuhata is common enough ; and, (2) the fact that in districts 

 where both occur together, and even in the self-same hedges (as at 

 Sandown), E. succenturiata appears a fortnight or so earlier in the 

 season. — Louis B. Prout, F.E.S., 12, Greenwood Road, Dalston, N.E, 

 Oct. 21st, 1895. 



The hybernating stage of Pyrameis cardui. — It is often stated 

 that Pyrameis cardui hybernates in Britain in the imago state ; but 

 there is not, I believe, a single scintilla of direct evidence to support 

 the assertion. Newman states (Brit. Butts., p. 65) : " The butterfly 

 appears in August, but the sexes appear to take little notice of each 

 other, and may be seen frequenting gardens or settling in roads, or on 

 the blossoms and teazles by the roadside until the end of October, 

 when they retire to their winter-quarters again, to appear in April, 

 May and June ; copulation then takes place, and oviposition follows 

 during eight or ten succeeding days." The butterflies do copulate in 

 August, for I have seen them, and I have also had the progeny 

 of August specimens emerging in October and November, in a warm 

 room. It is well known that P. cardui is a periodic insect in Britain. 

 On one occasion at least (1879), its course from North Africa and the 

 Mediterranean shores of Europe, to the central and northern parts of 

 Europe was well worked out. In N. Africa there is practically no such 

 thing as hybernation; the larva? feed on slowly, pupate, and emerge in 

 February and March. This is exactly what they appear to do in 



