NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 91 



CoUas hyale began to appear in great numbers at the end 

 of July, and was still to be met with during the first week in 

 October. The males varied only in size, but the colour of the 

 females ranged from almost pure white to a yellow very similar 

 to that of the males. 



C. edtisa was very scarce, and I only saw a single specimen 

 at the beginning of October. 



Aglais urticce was flying in enormous numbers all the 

 summer, and Pyrameis cardui was very plentiful during August 

 and September, V. io and P. atalanta were also common. 



Of the Satyrime certainly Pararye megara was the most 

 conspicuous, the females being very fresh and fine in August. 

 Melanaryia galataa was common in the summer, but in August 

 Coenonymvha pamphilus was the only representative of this genus 

 that was at all plentiful. Epniephile jurtina and Aphantopus 

 hyperanthus also occurred, but were very wasted. 



The " blues " were represented only by Polyommatus icarus 

 and A. medon. P. icarus was very plentiful ; the females were for 

 the most part of the ordinary brown form, but I saw one or two 

 with a very conspicuous dusting of blue scales. Chrysophanus 

 phleeas was not uncommon, but I did not meet with any unusual 

 forms. 



I need make no special reference to the Pieridce, as I have 

 no records of their first appearances. The usual species were 

 plentiful in August. 



To these observations I have only to add one other, which is 

 of enemy origin, namely, Arachnia levana, var. prorsa. I saw 

 this species in a box of specimens which had been collected by 

 a German prisoner inside his compound and while out at work 

 on the roads. He stated that he caught this specimen in June. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Formaldehyde in the Setting of Insects and in the Pre- 

 vention OF "Verdigris." — I am grateful to Mr. Sheldon for 

 acknowledging, in the March number of ' The Entomologist,' my 

 priority in publishing the use of formaldehyde for fixing the wings of 

 relaxed insects. He does not, however, quite clear the matter up in 

 his note on p. 68. The facts are as follows : On pp. 325 and 326, 

 vol. xlvii, 'Ent.,' I described my method of hardening specimens by 

 exposing lepidoptera in general to the vapour of formaldehyde while 

 they were still on the setting boards. At the same time I expressed 

 the hope that it would check the formation of "grease" by prevent- 

 ing decomposition. The method which Mr. Sheldon now describes 

 as his (p. 32, February, 1918) is for all practical purposes exactly the 



