86 THE entomologist's record. 



never produce fertile hybrid progeny. If, however, our correspondent 

 will look through the back volumes of the Kntnm. Itecord, or through 

 The KnUimohniist, he will find a number of records where copulation 

 has successfully taken place between vastly different species, of course 

 without resulting in fertile progeny. Such an instance has recently 

 been recorded (ante, p. 38). Pairings of Ampliidasys hetidaria arid 

 A. strataria, of Sviefint/tus ocellatus and S. jxqndi, of Cijmatdphnra 

 or and ( '. oculans, of Zygaena trifolii and Z . filipendulae have proved 

 fertile. Entomologists know very little about hybrid lepidoptera. — Ed.] . 



Aporia crat.egi wintering in England. — Facts are always 

 worth recording. This winter some larvae of A. crataaji, from eggs 

 which Dr. Chapman sent me last July from Zurich, have wintered in 

 my back garden. I am astonished, though, at the great death rate, 

 considering the mild winter. I had not considered the matter until 

 Mr. Merritield asked me if a very large proportion was not killed oif. 

 I did not think this was so at first, but on examination of the survivors 

 I computed that not more than live to ten per cent, have survived. — 

 J. W. TuTT. June, 1896. 



On the position of the pupa of Aciptilia migadactyla, Hw. 

 (= spilodactyla, Crt.) — In his valuable monograph on " The British 

 Pterophorina," Mr. J. W. Tutt says of this species, on p. 147, " The 

 pupa is attached only by the anal segment, which is placed nearest to 

 the petiole of the leaf, the head being turned to the apex of the leaf ;" 

 but the following facts will serve to show that this statement requires 

 some modification. On the 18th inst. I searched in one of the insect's 

 haunts for pupse to send to a friend, and collected all that I could 

 find, which numbered exactly a dozen ; of these, six were in the 

 position described by Mr. Tutt, but in the other six that position was 

 completely reversed, for their heads pointed straight toAvards the 

 petioles, while their anal extremities were towards the apices of the 

 leaves. All twelve were, of course, on the upper surfaces of the leaves, 

 and attached by the anal segments only ; nine were fastened to, or 

 extremely close to, the midrib itself ; one was near the midrib, and 

 only 3 mm. from it, while two were fixed near the edge, at a broad 

 part of the leaf, and right away from the midrib altogether. — Eustace 

 E. Bankes, M.A., F.E.8., The Eectory, Corfe Castle. May 2'drd, 1896. 



Hybernation of Melanippe fluctuata. — -At Erdington Hall, 

 Birmingham, I used to find the cocoons of M. fluetuata in November 

 and December, by stripping the bark off old trees in the garden. The 

 caterpillars had not then changed, and I kept some in tin glass-topi^ed 

 boxes, and watched them until April, when they turned to pup;iB about 

 a fortnight before emerging. The larvse retained their bright green 

 colour right up to the time of changing. — H. Tunaley, F.E.S., 30, 

 Fairmount Road, Brixton Hill, S.W. June, 1896. [This is interesting. 

 Compare, Ent. Ilec, vol. vi., p. 93. — Ed.] . 



:Xi^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Re-occurrence of Gastropacha ilicifolia on Cannock Chase. — 

 On May 17th, when collecting on Cannock Chase with Mr. Basil 

 Burnett, I had the good fortune to find a tine (Tastropacha ilicifolia at 

 rest. It is a male, and slightly rubbed on the right fore-wing. This 

 find is almost a re-discovery, as the insect has not been taken here for 



