226 THE entomologist's record. 



A further note on the Egglaying of Brenthls amathusia with some 

 remarks on the hybernating stage of the Argynnid and Brenthid 

 groups of fritillaries. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



In the June number of this magazine {a7itea p. 139) Mr. Gilhner 

 published some interesting notes on the egglaying and young larva of 

 Brenthis a)iiathusia. This is a beautiful fritillary, usually considerably 

 larger than our B. euphrosyne, to which it is somewhat closely allied. 

 Its underside, however, is very like that of B. dia. It happened to 

 be my good fortune on the morning of August 3rd, 1908, to observe, 

 in the Dischma-Thal, in the Canton Grisons, a ? B. arnathusia care- 

 fully inspecting the leaves of a violet plant that grew among a num- 

 ber of other wild plants at the foot of a stone-wall some little distance 

 up the valley. 



The examination appeared to prove quite satisfactory, for she rested 

 a moment, and I rather expected to see her deposit an Qgg there. 

 However, she did not do so but flew up the wall for a distance of 

 about four or six inches, above the tops of the plants, rested at once on 

 a little moss plant growing on the wall, and, almost without hesitation, 

 attached very carefully a pale pinkish egg to the underside of a short 

 stem of the moss, leaving it and resting again to place, as 1 supposed, 

 another about three inches off, before I netted her. 



I found the first egg without much trouble, but failed to find the 

 second, if one indeed was laid. I picked off the piece of moss and put 

 it in a small box. The egg soon became glassy-looking, and the 

 embryo was to be observed curled up inside. On September 6th I 

 looked at the egg, but the larva had not then appeared, but, on Sep- 

 tember 10th I found the egg empty and the young larva actively 

 crawling over the moss. Having nothing on which I could possibly 

 tempt it to feed, I forwarded it on the 11th to Dr. Chapman. 



This observation suggests considerable difference in the egg-laying 

 habit as observed on this occasion and by Mr. Gilhner in Germany. 

 One suspects, however, from the context [anUa p. 138) that the eggs 

 obtained by Mr. Gillmer were laid in confinement, in which case the 

 fact that they were laid on dry stalks and leaves, and on the ground 

 itself, is not unlike the habit here noticed. The much longer period 

 of remaining in the egg is noticeable. 



It is well known that An/ijnnis adijype and A. elim, whose larvse pass 

 the winter alive in the egg-shell, without hatching, and A. ar/laia and 

 Dryas paphia whose larvfe leave the egg-shell in August and immediately 

 hybernate, preferably choose a position near, but not on, the food- 

 plant, and the closely allied N. American species, that appear to have 

 identical habits, do the same. The reason is obvious in the case of 

 egg-hybernating species, for the violet-leaves would decay in winter 

 and danger to the egg occur, and in the case of the others possibly 

 some such danger in' the egg-stage has led to the autumn-hatching 

 followed by immediate hybernation. 



But it is quite new for us to have (as Mr. Gillmer avers) a Brenthid 

 larva hybernating straight from the egg. Larvje of Brenthis selene, B. 

 euphroayne, B. dia, B. thore, etc., hybernate in the fourth instar, and 

 further enquiry into the hybernating stage of the Brenthid section of 

 the fritillaries is very desirable. One Avould suppose that Brenthis 



