1 881.] 9,3 



were several broods during the summer, and their transformations were completed 

 with considerable rapidity. The first butterfly was noticed on the 26th May, and 

 on the 29th of the same month, I watched a female depositing eggs ; and on the 

 27th June, happening to be on the same spot, I searched the plant and found two 

 chrysalids, one suspended from the under-side of a leaf, and the other from a twig, 

 and a larva, not yet changed, suspended from a leaf. On 2nd July, these two 

 chrysalids produced fine butterflies. The suspended larva changed the next day 

 (28th June), and emerged 5th July, being thus only a week in the chrysalis state. 

 On 28th July I took full-grown and very small larvae, the latter are quite black, but 

 the former, as far as I could remember, did not seem to differ from those of L. 

 Sibylla. The chrysalids are much angulated, and resemble, in a remarkable manner, 

 a shrivelled-up honeysuckle leaf. The last butterfly was observed on the 21st 

 September. 



Vanessa c-album, L. — Common, and much larger, and of a paler hue than 

 English examples. 



Vanessa polychloros, L.— Common in the Ak-y-lar valley, sitting on the trunks 

 of trees, and among willow bushes in the shade ; but was not observed very often 

 on the wing. First seen on 13th June. 



Vanessa Antiopa, L. — Yery common in some localities, in the larva state, 

 throughout May and June. On the 13th of June I took about three dozen full- 

 grown larva? ; they had all changed to chrysalids by the 15th, and on the 26th all 

 the chrysalids produced butterflies, and they are the largest examples I have ever 

 seen of this species. It is strange that, notwithstanding the abundance of the larvae 

 in the early summer, I never saw a specimen of the perfect insect on the wing. 



Vanessa Atalanta, L. — Common, but not abundant. Larva? frequently taken 

 between united leaves of mallow (M. rotundifolia, L., and M. sylvestris, L.), and 

 wall pellitory (P. officinalis, L.). 



Vanessa cardui, L.— Abundant in all its stages. Imagos noticed depositing 

 eggs on thistle heads on 24th May, and on the 15th June the butterflies were out in 

 immense numbers, frequenting thistle flowers. Throughout September, October, and 

 November, the larva? were plentiful between united leaves of mallow.* 



Melitcea Cinxia, L. — Common, first observed on 23rd May. Turkish examples 

 are larger, and of a deeper colour than British. 



Melitcea Phoebe, Knoch. — Abundant, but local : first noticed, 23rd May. This 

 species varies considerably, and my Turkish examples differ from specimens I have 

 from Switzerland ; they are probably Staudinger's variety caucasica. 



Melitcea trivia, Schiff . — Abundant. First observed 26th May. A weak-flying 

 insect, and easily captured, inhabiting marshy pastures and open spots in woods 

 near streams. During early morning, and again just before sunset, it delights to 

 sit, with expanded and gently vibrating wings, on a flower-head, and when disturbed 

 merely floats in a dreamy manner to the next flower. They were very quiet in their 

 habits, and did not appear to quarrel with other butterflies, though they were con- 

 tinually jostled off the flowers by Melanargia Galathea and Larissa, or Hesperia 

 Actaon. The larvae of this pretty butterfly were exceedingly plentiful at the end of 

 June, feeding in society on Verbascum. The following is a description of the larva : 

 — Length, 10 lin. to 1 in. ; ground colour grey, or bluish-grey, with minute black dots 



* At Malta, in March, 1S79, the larva? were very abundant between united leaves of mallow. 



