HYBERNATION OF PYRAMEIS (VANESSA) ATALANTA. 99 



with faint outline of ground colour, mixed, in upper portions, 

 with black. 



According to Staudinger (Cat. Lep. 1901, vol. i. p. 132, 

 No. 1082), figures of steinerti, Caspari, described in 1898 

 {' Societas Entomologica,' xiii. p. 3), are given — Jahrb. Nass. 

 lii. pi. 4, figs. 8, 9; 'Iris,' xi. pi. 2, fig. 5; as carola, Phillips, 

 Jahrb. Nass. lii. pi. 4, figs. 5-7 ; and as alui var. by Barrett, 

 Brit. Lep. iii. pi. 121, figs, la, lb. The last two seem to be 

 modifications of steinerti, as also is the specimen secured by 

 Mr. Bunce. The latter, however, appears more heavily suffused 

 than either of the others. 



HYBERNATION OF PYRAMEIS (VANESSA) ATALANTA 



IN CAPTIVITY. 



By L. W. Newman. 



In the autumn of 1909 I saved seven specimens of Pyrameis 

 [Vanessa) atalanta to see if it were possible to hybernate them 

 in England under unnatural conditions. 



I have many times tried them out of doors, also in a cold 

 greenhouse, but in both cases failed, the specimens dying off 

 early in the winter. 



I prepared a small cardboard box about nine inches by six 

 inches by six inches deep, cut out the lid, leaving only the frame 

 of cardboard, stretched open mosquito netting over the box, and 

 held this down with the cardboard frame. 



The butterflies were placed in this, the box stood by a 

 window facing east, and at night removed to a warmer quarter 

 of the room ; there was always a fire in the room, and also a 

 large boiler which was warm all night, so that the specimens 

 never had a lower temperature than, say, 35 degrees, even on the 

 coldest nights. After two or three days they became very 

 restless, and evidently required food. A good-sized pad of 

 absorbent cotton-wool was well soaked in water, sprinkled with 

 cane-sugar, and placed in the centre of the box on top of 

 the mosquito netting ; very soon the butterflies had found the 

 sweets and were busy feeding. They walked about in the box, 

 continuously opening their wings when the sun was shining, and 

 about midday retired to the darkest corner of the box. 



Throughout the whole winter they fed regularly every few 

 days, and on no day when there was any sun did they remain 

 quiet, no matter how cold the weather was out of doors. 



The first casualty happened in Decem})er, when a male 

 specimen became quite paralyzed ; he seemed to have indulged 

 too freely in food, for his body became very distended, and he lay 

 for many hours at the bottom of the box with legs twitching 

 and wings quivering before he died. 



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