NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 175 



the cell and the apex," or in one specimen, more, for the neuration 

 varies a little in different specimens. However, the butterflies allied to 

 Aporia may ultimately be grouped. I am inclined to think that A . cratmjl 

 will standalone in its genus, the margins being almost entirely destitute 

 of fringes ; whereas, soracta, Moore, &c., are very strongly fringed. Is 

 not this a character which should be regarded as of generic value ? — 

 W. F. KipvBy; April 2nd, 1894. 



Notes on Sawflies. — During the past two years I have turned my 

 attention to breeding and rearing sawflies, and have found it a most 

 interesting study, requiring little apparatus, and that chiefly of the 

 rough-and-ready kind. The principal dangers are (1) death of the Qgg 

 through the withering of the plant in which it has been laid ; (2) death 

 of the larva in the cocoon through mould, or simply shrivelling up just 

 before the pupa stage. The best remedy for the first evil is to provide 

 healthy growing plants for the parent to deposit the eggs in, but where 

 this is not convenient, I have found that even should the leaf wither, 

 the eggs may often be preserved by placing them on blotting-paper in a 

 soup-plate full of water. I have hatched many larvae in this way, and 

 on the whole they have not proved more delicate than others. The eggs 

 of Nematm pavidus, however, are an exception ; for some (to me) myste- 

 rious reason they invariably perish if water is allowed to touch them. 

 I have succeeded in inducing several flies to deposit virgin eggs, the 

 result being as follows : — Male flies only from Abia sericea, Cnesiis 

 latipes, C. septentrionalis, Nematus hetulcB, N. rihesii ; larvae from Erio- 

 campa annulipes and Hylotoma graciUcornis ; eggs from Cladius viminalis, 

 Dineura virididorsata, Nematus lacteus, N. pavidus, Strongyloyaster cingu- 

 latus. In every case the parent fly was kept separate from all others 

 from the moment she left the cocoon till after the eggs were laid. Abia 

 sericea, Crcesus latipes, C. septentrional is, and Nematus betulm, laid very 

 freely, and the larvse hatched well and were nearly all reared. Erio- 

 campa annulipes laid well, but when the larvae were full-fed all but two 

 died off without any apparent cause. The two survivors have not yet 

 hatched. It almost seems as though Hylotoma graciUcornis has only 

 partially acquired the power of parthenogenesis. Though the dozen 

 females I had bred all deposited eggs, only two showed any signs of 

 growth ; both these hatched, but the larvae were small and sickly, and 

 perished in the cocoon. I may mention that I have noticed t-\\o forms 

 of these larvae; one (the commoner in this neighbourhood) being a 

 beautiful bright mulberry colour, the other a yellowish green. Both 

 have the usual yellow markings and black tubercles. The red is not 

 very bright till the larva is about three-quarters grown, and becomes 

 intensified shortly before spinning up. Both forms may be found 

 feeding side by side, and are equally easily reared. I have not yet been 

 able to discover whether the offspring of a " red " fly will also be red. 

 The female of Macrophya punctum album will live a long time in 

 captivity. Last year I caught a specimen which lived about three 

 weeks, and deposited several eggs. She fed on ash leaves, making 

 small irregular holes all over their surfaces. All round the holes the 

 leaves appeared mitch bruised, and soon turned black. I should be 

 glad to know whether this fact is well known, as I can find no 

 reference to it in any of my books on entomology. — (Miss) E. F, 

 Chawner; Lyndhurst, Hants, April, 1894. 



