1866.] 191 



afterwards they were in the same place, and were joined by a Oonoptera libatrix. 

 Four days later (August 25th) I saw plenty of half-gi-own larvae of V. urticce 

 feeding on nettles. These doubtless produced the autumn brood of butterflies a 

 fortnight or three weeks afterwards. 



On September 7th, the weather having at this time become excessively hot, I 

 examined the building again, and found in it five V. urticce, five O. libatrix, one 

 Mypena rostralis, and several Alucita polydactyla ; and one of the original V. urticte 

 was so profoundly torpid, that it had permitted a libatrix to station itself on the 

 side of its wings and body, so that the indented hind margin of libatrix reached 

 beyond that of urtica\ giving the latter a very odd appearance, yet it had not moved 

 a step. At this time this species of butterfly was flying everywhere in abundance, 

 the autumn bi-ood having made its appearance. 



On September 18th another urticce, and three more libatrix, had settled down. 

 The loaded urtictB had, apparently, got tired of its burden, anil had moved about an 

 inch, shifting it off on to the ceiling close by, where it remained some time. 



On October 5th, I took a light, and examined a dark part of the building, and 

 found altogether eight V. urticce, twenty-seven O. libatrix, and two more H. rostralis. 

 The weather had, as will be remembered, been all this time very hot and sunny, 

 and V. urticce was stiU flying in profusion. 



On November 23rd, the winter having fairly set in, I examined again, and 

 found half-a-dozen more libatrix. Alucita polydactyla was in all the comers, and 

 several specimens of a common Chrysopa were on the ceiling, the other species 

 remaining as before. 



All through the intense heat, therefore, of the autumn these Vanessa urticce 

 had, with the exception mentioned, absolutely not stirred a step, nor apparently 

 moved a wing, while numbers of their own species of a later brood were flying 

 about, and, indeed, getting much worn. 



It is well known that Vanessa polychloros, after flying for a week or two, at the 

 end of July or beginning of August disappears, and is seen no more until the 

 spring ; and it appears to me that instinct induces those specimens of V. urticce, 

 that are to perpetuate their species in the spring, to adopt a similar course, retiring 

 early for hybernation without reference to the weather ; while it seems that the 

 numbers which continue to fly about, as long as the warm weather lasts, must die 

 when the winter sets in, since there was no increase in the number of hybernating 

 species when the weather changed, although the means of ingress continued as 

 before. 



The libatrix, too, though not so torpid as V. urticce, and rather addicted to 

 moving about, evidently did not leave the building, and those that could find a 

 crevice or break in the plaster to poke their heads into, remained perfectly still. 

 They certainly continued to come in much later than V. urticce, but the specimens 

 are all so perfectly fine, that they must have retired vei-y soon after emerging from 

 the pupa. At the same time, other individuals of this species were to be found 

 at night enjoying themselves on the ripe blackberries in the hedges. 



Hypena rostralis occurred so sparingly, and it and Alucita polydactyla were so 

 lively and restless, that no opinion could well be formed respecting them.— Chaulks 

 G. BAKKErr, Haslemere, 14<A December, 1865. 



