NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 251 



a few days. I then sprinkled the leaves with water, and in a few 

 minutes nearly every larva was drinking greedily. During the next 

 ewdays nea.-^y all died so that by Apnl'lst th'ere were 'only th" 

 left. These changed skm between April 1st and 5th, and grew quicklv 

 5nH?'"1 o?/i" between April 21st and 27th, and again between May 

 20th and 20th. They fed up well, and grew to a much larger sii 

 than any I have had before. Towards the end of June they became 

 on ?,nl 9«H "S [^ wandenng about on the ground, and disappeared 

 on June 26th, 27th and 30th. As the bottom of the cage was covered 

 with dead leaves, I supposed that they had spun up in them, but 

 when, a week later, I removed the leaves, I could find no trace of the 

 larvffi. On turning over the soil I found the three cocoons, all close 

 to the surface, and kept from actual contact with the soil by bein^ 

 surrounded each with a larger, very loosely woven cocoon, which came 

 to pieces as soon as touched. The cocoons themselves were larger 

 and blacker than any I have had before, and whereas all my others 

 are smooth, these have the short close-set hairs of the larvs woven 

 in 111 such a way that they stick out in all directions, and remain in 

 ^ the fangers when the cocoons are picked up. The first ima^o emerged 

 on August 2ud, and the others on August 8th, all three being femafes. 

 ihe chief points of interest seem to me to be the eager way in which 

 the larvfB drank the drops of water, and the situation of the cocoons. 

 As to the former, whether this was the direct cause or not of so many 

 caterpillars dying, I cannot say, but probably the increase of moisture 

 in the air, arising from watering the plants, had a good deal to do with 

 It, as Mr. Frohawk suggests in the case of Culias lujale {ante, p. 169). 

 More curious seems to be the situation of the cocoons. All I have 

 had before have been made either on the sides of the cage or on twigs 

 of the food-plant, and nowhere can I find mention of their being made 

 underground. I should be glad to hear if any similar cases have been 

 observed.— K. G. Blair ; 23, West Hill, Highgate, N. 



Abundance of Cyaniris argiolus in the Metropolitan area. — We 

 have always claimed Cijuniris an/iolus as a Lewisham insect, as it has 

 occurred annually in certain favoured spots hereabout as long back as 

 my memory will carry me, but during the last two years it appears to 

 have been increasing greatly in numbers, reaching 'its climax, in this 

 respect, during the past few weeks. The spring brood was noted on 

 the wing on May 27tli, and the first individual of the summer emer- 

 gence was seen on July 16th, from which date to the present the 

 species has been on the Aving whenever the sun has shone, flying over 

 my little strip of garden, where there is certainly nothing to specially 

 attract it, and about the roads in such numbers as I have never before 

 seen it in the neighbourhood. Reports of a similar abundance reach 

 me from other parts of the London suburbs, and it has been seen 

 flying even in the streets of the City. There is little doubt that this 

 great increase in numbers during the past two or three years is not 

 confined to the London district, but is pretty general throughout the 

 range of the species in this country {vide Entom., vol. xxxiii, pp. 14, 

 203, 226, 303, 351 ; vol. xxxiv, p. 16, &c.j, nor has it been a sudden 

 jump from a normal state of things to a great abundance, as is often 

 the case, where immigration may play a leading part, but rather a 



