NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 23 



well for Noctuas. By using the above methods no " mould " need be 

 feared. In the two following, this fungus enemy is certain to appear 

 after some hours, whether the water used be hot or cold. Therefore 

 add a few drops of carbolic acid, which will also arrest decomposition, 

 and be certam death to "mites" as well. 8. Use a corked, zinc 

 relaxing-box. Damp — but only damp — the cork. Drop on the cork 

 six drops of carbohc acid. 4. Fill a wide-mouthed, well-stopped bottle 

 or jar, three-parts full with dumiJ sand. Drop on the sand carbolic 

 acid, twelve or fifteen drops to a pint (four gills) of sand. Place a 

 layer of cotton-wool on the sand, and lay the insects on the cotton- 

 wool. It is well to measure the carbolic acid — a drop or two over will 

 not matter. Too much will retard relaxation, probably because the 

 oily nature prevents the damp from rising. Nos. 3 and 4, especially 

 No. 4, are invaluable for the largest-sized insects (or, indeed, any 

 other). These may be safely left for a week or a fortnight until 

 thoroughly flexible. Lepidoptera, after relaxing, should be exposed 

 in the room for a few minutes to dry the wings. In changing the pin 

 press the thorax, from below and upwards, with the thumb and fore- 

 finger, then downwards with the use of a setting-needle. After setting, 

 expose the insects for a quarter of an hour in front of a moderate fire. 

 J. Aekle ; Chester. 



[For relaxing insects on a larger scale, see Entom. xxv. 119. — Ed.] 



Spilosoma mendica var. rustica. — Eeferring to Mr. Kane's notes 

 (Entom. xxvi. 344) on S. vumdica var. rustica, as probably I was the 

 first to rear this variety from ova, it may be well to record that my 

 capture of the female alluded to took place in 1885. From these ova 

 a most beautiful and varied series of males was bred, fifteen distinct 

 and very striking varieties of which are still in my collection. The 

 ova from which Mr. Adkin and Mrs. Hutchinson bred their specimens 

 were deposited in 1886 by the progeny of the female taken in 1885. 

 The female rustica is larger than English specimens I have taken in 

 Durham and Dorset, and more constant in the number and disposition 

 of the spots. I have not observed 8. mendica here, although IS.fulii/i- 

 nosa is not uncommon. — H. McDowall ; Nashville, Howth, December 

 4tb, 1893. 



Bleached patches on Wings of Butterflies. — Amongst a few 

 pupte of Vanessa atalanta of the second (or third) brood (the last emerged 

 November 27th), one met with an accident that I thought must be 

 fatal. It hung to the cover of a jar, and in replacing the cover, rather 

 a heavy one, this pupa was carelessly pressed between the cover and 

 the lip of the jar, remaining so for twenty-four hours. The lip of the 

 jar, some tenth of an inch thick, left a deep impression across one of 

 the wing-covers. This got shallower, but remained evident till the 

 time of emergence, and crossed the red band of the upper wing. The 

 butterdy nevertheless succeeded in emerging perfectly, except a white 

 bleached patch across the red baud of the upper wing, and some less 

 evident change of the same character on the lower wing. Eemember- 

 iug that E. laiiiia presents these bleached patches perhaps more 

 frequently than any other butterfly, — they are indeed common in tiiat 

 species, — it stems to me that a similar cause, pressure on the pupal 

 wing-cases, is here the explanation also, lanira pupates in a flimsy 



