20 June, 



crescent-shaped upright wliite streak on the inner margin, occasionally becoming a 

 fascia and reaching the costa. Hind-wings white, with fuscous margins. It belongs 

 to the genus Micra of Gruencc, and of Doubleday's List. Professor Zeller tells me 

 it is common in Germany, the larva feeding on GnaphaUum arenarium. As this is 

 not a British plant, some allied species is doubtless substituted for it in this country. 

 Micra parva has both the fasciae straight and oblique, and has darker hind- 

 wings, but very little is known about it in this country. Mr. Doubleday believes 

 that Dr. Battersby's supposed specimens were varieties of ostrina without the rosy 

 colour, and it seems probable that Mr. Crotch's specimens taken at Weston-super- 

 Mare were the same, while one which was sold at a high price at the sale of a large 

 London collection two or three years ago, proves to be rosina, a native of southern 

 Russia. This mistake must by attributed to some too ingenious dealer, since there 

 is not a shadow of reason to suppose that rosina has ever occurred in this country. — 

 Chas. Gr. Barrett, Norwich ; IGth Ajyril, 1873. 



Notes on Vanessa Antiopa in Holland. — Mr. Snellen van Vollenhoven called 

 attention to the appearance of Vanessa Antiopa, L., in extraordinary numbers 

 during the previous summer, and mentioned that four specimens were taken on the 

 Morsehweg, near Leyden, and many others observed there. Messrs. Brants and 

 Snellen also bore testimony that these butterflies, which are usually extremely scarce, 

 had occurred here and there in other parts of the country. Mr. Lewe, of Middlestum, 

 noticed that some specimens had been seen and taken in the wood of Cleves. The 

 President (Mr. Albarda) also announced that he had taken three specimens in his 

 garden at Breda. — [^Extracted from Heport of Dutch Entotn. Society, Meeting 

 28lk December, 1872.] 



Perception of Gonepteri/x rliamni at fault. — On Easter Monday a little incident 

 occurred, which may bo worth mentioning in thtse days, when at last some syste- 

 matic attention begins to be paid to the faculties of the lower animals. While plodding 

 along a dusty highroad in this neighbourhood, a J <?. rhamni rapidly passed me 

 on the wing. A few yards further on, it suddenly arrested its straight flight and 

 began to wheel round an object lying in the dust, which, on coming up, I found to be 

 a crumpled-up ball of rose-coloured tissue paper. My arrival frightened the butter- 

 fly and it continued its headlong career, but, scarcely had I left the spot, when 

 doubling on its track, it rushed back and repeated tlie circling round the paper, 

 descending repeatedly to within about an inch of it, but witlioat actually settling. 

 This time I watched its proceedings from a convenient distance without disturbing 

 it. After a few minutes' bird's-eye view, the insect seemed to have made up its 

 mind, that there are such things in the world as rose-coloured balls without the 

 perfume and nectar of the rose ; so away it went and so did I. But imagine my 

 astonishment to see it fly steadily a few hundred yards ahead, and then suddenly 

 return to the ball, over which it again performed similar aerial evolutions, till a band 

 of noisy excursionists made the place too hot for it to stay, much to my inward 

 regret, as I had made np my mind to wait and see how long the deception would 

 last. — Albert Muller, South Norwood, S.E. : April 17th, 1873. 



Black x^ariety of Dianthoecia conspersa in Morayshire. — Last July, I went down 

 to the coast of the Bay of Fiudhorn, about two miles from Forres, to collect some 

 seeds of Silene inflata. 



