NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 379 



Cheshire. — A single specimen was taken by a boy near the city last 

 August, and I have several records from Shotwick and neighbourhood. — 

 R. Newstead ; Chester. 



Aberdeen. — I may mention the capture of a fine specimen of CoUas 

 ediisa by myself on Sept. 14th, 1889, in a garden at Denmore, near Aber- 

 deen. I never heard of it so far north before. — W. Catto ; Cote Town, 

 Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, N.B. 



Variation in Vanessa antiopa. — In his paper on the " x\berrations in 

 the Genus Vanessa," in the September number of the ' Entomologist,' 

 Mr. South describes several varieties of Vanessa antiopa. Another form of 

 this species occurs here, in which the rich brown of the upper surface of 

 the wings is replaced with dull smoky bhick ; the usual blue spots are 

 faintly represented on the primaries, and a few blue scales only on the 

 secondaries ; the yellow border, of normal width, is much obscured with 

 smoky black, especially on the primaries ; under surface not strikingly dis- 

 similar from the normal form, except that the border is darker. Maynard's 

 statement that the form hijgicEa occurs in about the proportion of one 

 hygicca to five hundred of the normal form does not hold good here. The 

 number of blue spots on the primaries sometimes varies. I once raised a 

 whole brood of tliis species, some of which had but a single blue spot on the 

 primaries, others lacked but one ; and tlie remainder possessed a varying 

 number between these extremes. Cases like this, where a whole brood of 

 some species shows considerable variation from the normal form, present a 

 very favourable opportunity to study the causes of variation in insects. 

 Such instances are by no means rare ; two such are mentioned in Mr. 

 South 's article, where broods of Vanessa io all emerged as varieties. If 

 this were due to inheritance, a portion only of the brood would vary, and 

 the cause is certainly to be looked for in some other direction. Where a 

 large number of insects are confined in the same breeding-cage they are 

 exposed to very much the same external conditions, and it is not remarkable 

 that when one varies, all, or nearly all, will vary. When only one, or a 

 very few, vary, and when all were exposed to the same conditions (light, 

 heat, moisture, food, &c.), T think we will have to fall back on " spontaneous " 

 variation or reversion. — Frank M. Jones ; Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A., 

 Sept. ^3, 1889. 



Epinephele ianira, var. — At the meeting of the North Kent Ento- 

 mological Society, on Sept. 12th, Messrs. Allbuary and E. Knight exhibited 

 a beautiful var. of E. ianira, which they captured on the south-east coast in 

 August. The body, legs, and antennae are white, and the wings are 

 creamy white, with a pink tinge in the centre. Unfortunately two of the 

 wings are slightly torn ; otherwise the insect is in splendid condition. — 

 H. J. Webb; 3, Gunning Street, Plumstead. 



PoLYoMiMATUs PHL(EAS var. scHMiDTii. — While at Folkestone in August 

 I was pleased to find that my friend Mr. Giles's (of that town) younger sou 

 Frank had been so fortunate as to take, at the foot of one of the hills, a very 

 fresh and perfect specimen of the silver variety of Polyommatus phlceas, 

 and on my return home I saw another of the same variety, taken, I believe, 

 somewhere in the neighbourhood of Croydon by a Master Long, of 

 Streatham, but this was unfortunately not in such good condition as the 

 one seen at Folkestone.— J. K. Wellman ; 8, Medora Road, Brixton Hill, 

 S.W., Oct. 4, 1889. 



