1S86.J 5 



not only by myself but by other entomologists who were there ; many 

 of my captured specimens deposited numerous ova in confinement, and 

 it happened these were nearly all fertile and were reared through all 

 stages without difficulty, appearing in p6rfect condition in the early 

 part of June, 1885. In July, 1884, when these larvae were approach- 

 ing maturity I thought I would visit Chippenham Fen, hoping I might 

 succeed in finding them upon their food-plants, and was not there very 

 long before I found many larvae full grown by shaking the high grass- 

 stems into a little pointed frame covered with a thin white cloth ; 

 nearly all these changed to pupao and came out perfect specimens at 

 the same date as those bred from ova, June, 1885. 



Description of ova. — The ova were deposited in single lines, being attached to 

 each other, tlie first and last eggs were secured by claspers ; form, oval ; colour, 

 pale yellow, transparent, and under high power perfectly smooth. 



Larvae. — When first hatched (7 days) they were little wriggling grey larvte, and 

 immediately commenced feeding upon under-side and parenchyma of the food plant ; 

 when touched or disturbed they fell suspended by threads in a manner peculiar to 

 loopers ; after the first moulting they assumed a green tint. In about three weeks, 

 when full grown, these half-looper larvae became pale green ; head darker ; a drab 

 line down centre of back, a pale yellow line running parallel, and another line 

 parallel ^^not so distinct ; the segments divided by horizontal lines of pale yellow 

 accompanied by other lines but faintly marked. Length, ^-iuch or 9 lines. 



Food plants. — Poa annua, aquatica, pratensis, and other grasses. Larva goes 

 to earth for transformation, pupa being enclosed in a silken cocoon. 



5, King's Parade, Cambridge : 

 April 6th, 1886. 



NOTES ON THE VAEIATION of LEPIDOPTEBA TAKEN NEAE DERBY. 



ET JOHN niLL. 



As I meet with varieties of some of the common Lepidoptera 

 which do not appear to be general, perhaps a few notes on the different 

 species occurring in this neighbourhood which vary, may be of interest 

 to the readers of the Ent. Mo. Mag. 



We are very poorly represented in butterflies, my own captures 

 in the immediate neighbourhood (including Colias Edusa, which oc- 

 curred pretty freely in 1877) amount to only eleven species ; but the 

 district is very prolific in moths, many of which are scarce. 



Chrysophanus Phl(Bas.—\ took one of the colourless variety in 1877, which I 

 believe is in the collection of the late Rev. II. A. Stowell ; the spots on the fore- 

 wings of this insect vary in size. 



Smerinthus piopuU. — I have a specimen with the russet spot on the under-wiiigs 

 wanting : also one of the brown variety with a lovely lilac bloom on the wings, bred 

 this season ; I only hope the bloom will last. 



