102 THE entomologist's record. 



not mention the hybernating stage in ]>rit. ButU., p. 101, 

 although on p. 17 he gives as certain the larval as the hybernating 

 stage. Von Prittwitz {E.M.M., vi., p. 223) gives it as hybernating in 

 the " Qgg.'' Hellins hybernated the larv;e from August, 1874, until 

 February 13th, 1875, and this is, as a matter of fact, the stage in 

 which ('. pcuiiphilus^oea hybernate. 



Such a paper as this summarises the advance that has been made in 

 one direction during the last 25 years, and shows us how completely out- 

 of-date Newman's /''r/i/.sA /i»«('>///('.sis,andhowmuch beginners, who use 

 it as their first text-book, have to unlearn even on such a subject as this, 

 and when we consider that every page of Newman's book went through 

 the hands of Mr. H. Doubleday, who represented at that time the 

 highest point of British lepidopterology, we can pride ourselves that 

 the labour of the last quarter of a century has chronicled a distinct 

 advance in the facts that have accumulated about our British 

 butterflies. 



Melanippe fluctuata. 



By LOUIS B. PEOUT, F.E.S. 



(Continued from ]i. 51 ). 



Several authors, right down from the time of Borkhausen, have 

 endeavoured to arrange the principal varieties of this species in either 

 two or three tolerably distinct forms ; but their results do not entirely 

 agree, and it is pretty evident that the forms pass one into another by 

 very easy gradations. Borkhausen himself distinguishes chiefly two 

 forms, the white or whitish and the dirty yellowish-white, and 

 remarks that he finds the latter invariably larger, but, as he can see 

 no other difference, he does not propose to erect a separate species. 

 Duponchel figures two forms, the common one, and a darkish variety 

 inclining to the var. neapoUsata (vol. v., part i., pi. 189, figs. 3 and 4). 

 Hiibner figures a very brown form, strongly marked (fig. 249) ; I have 

 occasionally seen specimens of the form which I believe it represents, 

 though rather more ochreous brown than his figure. Treitschke says 

 that the species is very variable, and that the mountain forms are 

 smaller and with white ground colour, those of the valleys larger and 

 more yellowish. He is also the first, so far as I have observed, to 

 mention the existence of forms with an entire central band, and he 

 says that these have " at first sight much similarity with M. naliata." 



Haworth makes two species, according to the form and breadth of 

 the central fascia, jhictnata for the normal broader-banded form, 

 costovata for the narrow-banded. 



Herrich-Schaeffer figures (figs. 292, 294) two of the forms with the 

 central costal blotch much reduced, the forms frequently known in 

 this country as ab. costorata, Haw. 



Guenee gives, besides the type, three varieties : — 



A. Central area, forming a complete band, blackish. 



B. The " neapalhuUi " form. 



C. The form with the central fascia much reduced, and very few other 



dark markings. 



This is probably about the most reasonable summary which can be 

 made of the ordinary European forms. Snellen's {Vlinders, i., p. 668) 

 seems to me less satisfactory ; like all other authors, he recognizes 



