86 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



Thorax red P. gravenhorsd, 80. 



Segments 2 and 3 normal. 



Petiolar area nitidulous . . . . . . P. variabilis, 88. 



Petiolar area more or less rugose. 



Petiolar area only centrally rugose . . P. assimilis, 89. 



Petiolar area entirely rugose. 



Two basal segments sharply aciculate . . P. procerus, 78. 



Two basal segments not aciculate. 



Segment 2 alutaceous ; eyes naked . . P. marshalli, 93. 



Segment 2 punctate; eyes densely 



pubescent P. rotimdipennis , 100. 



Area of metathorax incomplete. 



Basal abdominal segment punctulate, not 



aciculate. 

 Antennas unicolorous . . . . . . Oresbids castaneus, 108. 



AntenniB tricoloured . . . . . . Microcryptus, 23. 



Head very large, twice as broad as thorax M. graviceps, 49. 



Head normal. 



Thorax without areffi . . . . . . M. nigrocinctus, 41. 



Thorax with more or less distinct areae. 

 Metathorax red, with broad black central 



vitta . . . . . . . . . . M. brachypterus, 50. 



Metathorax unicolorous. . 



Metathorax red . . . . . . . . M. labralis, 52. 



Metathorax black .. .. .. . . M. micropterus , 51. 



Basal segment more or less aciculate . . Hemiteles, 116. 

 Segment 2 aciculate . . . . .. H. hemipteriis, 154. 



Segment 2 smooth. 



Scutellum red . . . . . . . . H. subzonatus, 140. 



Scutellum black . . . . . . . . H. pedestris, 138. 



Notes from the Wye Valley: the Yanessids in 1907. 



By J. F. BIED. 



This has not been a very good season from a collector's point of 

 view, but we have found it interesting with regard to the Vanessids. 

 Judging from ova and larvfe of Pol)j;/onia c-album, found from the last 

 day of March to the beginning of July, and larvii^ of At/lais urticae, in 

 June and July, the ovipositing of the hybernated females of both these 

 species appears to have been much protracted ; the cause, no doubt, 

 being the abnormally dull and cold weather Ave have experienced this 

 year ; the fine " butterfly days " so few and far between. 



Polygonia c-albiun. — Only one hybernated specimen of P. c-album 

 was observed in the spring, a female, which frequented our garden on 

 March 31st and April 1st, when I watched it ovipositing on Ribes {vide 

 vol. xix., p. 125). I have already mentioned (p. 126) the length of time 

 it took for the first two larv^, that hatched from ova we obtained, to 

 eat their way out from their shells, and it seems, from further observa- 

 tions, that about twelve hours is the average time for this operation. 

 Perhaps the table on p. 38, showing dates of hatching, moulting, etc., 

 of some of these will be found of interest. 



I should like to have added the sex in each case, to compare with 

 the number of keels of the ovum, but do not feel sufficiently certain 

 that I can tell. I fancy it is easier to distinguish the sex of specimens 

 met with in the natural state. 



Emergence generally takes place in the early morning, but a few 

 we have bred came out at other times of the day, though rarely at 

 night. 



Besides obtaining ova in April, in May we also found, on our 



