214 THE entomologist's record. 



feature, closely followed by the prevalence of variation in the majority 

 of species in the lihopalocera. In addition the migratory species were 

 very few and far between, riz., a few odd ( 'altas hyale tow&rds the end 

 of August and the beginning of September, and a few C. edusa, which 

 was much the rarer species of the two during the first fortnight of 

 October. Another strong characteristic was the third emergence of 

 those species that produce in a normal season second, or partial second 

 emergences, the characteristic of such third emergences of those 

 species that are subject to seasonal dimorphism being, that the 

 imagines produced were practically identical with those of the typical 

 second emergence. 



After such a hot dry season as 1911, one would have expected to 

 see some eft'ect on the progeny in the following year, but this from my 

 own observation only, is apparently not the case ; for during the 

 whole of my entomological experience I have never known a season so 

 devoid of anything even tending to variation. The only instance that 

 has shown the slightest effect of last season's drought was in the first 

 emergence of Pieris napi, which this year was very scarce. Practically 

 ever}' example examined was very considerably undersized. The 

 cause of this is perhaps not difficult to discover. This species feeding 

 in its larval state on various ('ruci ferae, had to undergo partial 

 starvation last autumn, for the majority of the food plants of the 

 species being biennials, the heat caused the rapid ripening of the fruit, 

 and consequent withering of the leaves. I noted last year several of 

 the larviB of /'. najii feeding, or more correctly trying to feed, on the 

 nearly ripe seed pods of Alliaria, the leaves of which were quite brown 

 and dry. I experienced a considerable difficulty m providing food for 

 the 4,000 to 5,000 larvse of this species which I had, and the 

 resulting imagines all tended, but in a lesser degree than the wild 

 specimens, to be considerably smaller than typical. 



The season of 1912 commenced in a most promising fashion, many 

 insects appearing at least a month earlier than normal. On March 

 31st I saw the first Celastrina artfiolits, and from this date onward it 

 was in fair numbers. On April 5th a male P. napi was seen at rest 

 on a bloom of Arahis, and on the following day P. rapae was seen in 

 fair numbers. Although this was the earliest date on which I saw the 

 species, my brother saw one on March 16th. By April 25th the 

 Pierids and ('. ari/iolns were fully out, but with the exception of the 

 latter, very scarce for such generally common insects. On this date I 

 first noted Kuchlo'e cardamines, a female ; but here again I was late, as 

 a Reigate entomologist informed me that he saw a male during the 

 first week in April. On May Gth I visited Tilgate Forest, and found 

 Brenthis euphrosi/ne fully out ; even at this early date it had evidently 

 been out several days as a few males were beginning to get wasted. 

 This species was far more abundant than I have ever before seen it in 

 Tilgate ; during the afternoon in question, which was very dull after a 

 bright morning, the imagines were most conspicuous sitting on the 

 dried bracken, the females being generally far better hidden than the 

 males. I was enabled to examine over 500 without chloroforming 

 them, but in common with every species I have worked this season 

 there was no tendency to variation, except that there was a far greater 

 percentage (at least 20%) of the lightly marked males. After this date 

 I paid several visits to the Forest for B. eiiphrosyne, which continued 



