256 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
the surrounding leaflets, and it was in the centre of these heads, and 
as far down in them as she could reach, that the butterfly in each 
case deposited her egg. This would appear to ensure a provision of 
the developed flower-buds for the subsequent larva, as I have found 
that in captivity it is the flower only (when this species is provided) 
that is consumed by the caterpillar. The act of deposition was 
preceded and accompanied by the peculiar rotating motion of the 
hind wings so often noticed in resting Lycenids, reminding one of 
two juxtaposed “eccentrics” on a piece of machinery, and it was not 
until a very thorough and searching probing, with the tip of the 
abdomen, over and into the entire surface of the flower-head had been 
undertaken that the egg was finally laid. In some cases, after careful 
exploration, the insect would apparently think better of it, and leave 
the selected head of Lotus with her egg unlaid, and seek a fresh one, 
and that without being disturbed in. any way in her duties. There 
was no attempt on the butterfly’s part to alternate these activities 
with any attention to honeyed flowers during the twenty minutes or 
so that she was under observation ; in no case was more than one 
egg laid upon a selected flower-head. Years ago I have reared 
Thecla rubi from the egg upon Lotus flowers, but until now had only 
found the eggs in Nature laid upon Rhamnus catharticus (leaves and 
base of flower-umbels) and in the axils of the young shoots of gorse. 
—R. M. Pripeaux; Brasted Chart, Kent. 
PAPILIO MACHAON AB. FLAMMATA, BuacuieR.—In the ‘ Bulletin 
de la Soc. lépidopt. de Genéve’ (vol. iii, fasc. 1, August, 1914), 
the late M. Blachier described under the name of ab. flammata 
(pl. ii, fig. 7), a form of P. machaon in which the intraneural spaces 
3 and 4 are adorned on the hind wings with dame-like splashes of 
orange-red within the black ante-marginal band corresponding with 
the similarly placed normal rufous markings on the underside. 
I have an example of this pretty form in my collection taken 
by Miss Margaret Fountaine, or one of her sisters, near Bastia 
in Corsica, May, 1894. In Switzerland it appears to be rare. 
M. Blachier mentions one example from Tougues near Geneva, 
and the excellent figure is of a specimen in the Museum captured 
at Crassier, Vaud, by the late M. Loriol. I have never come across 
it in my many years collecting on the Continent. In all these 
three recorded cases the machaon are of comparatively small size. 
I may add that from a series bred this year from Mr. Floersheim’s 
Wicken Fen stock, of fourteen superb examples only two are without 
the red spots well developed on the costal lunule of the hind wings 
(cp. J. Jenner Weir, ‘ Entomologist,’ vol. xxiv, p. 105, and W. Farren, 
‘Kntomologist’s Record,’ vol. iv, pp. 100-108). It would be interesting 
to hear whether ab. flammata has occurred in Britain —H. Rowtanp- 
Brown; October 8th, 1916. 
Some Ruopatocera oF West Java.—No wind, and a bright 
sun, the morning shall be fine for butterfly-hunting; this afternoon 
it shall rain, as every afternoon. Around the ‘‘ Duar” trees in the 
garden Delias belisama is already to be seen in dozens, easy to be 
caught, flying slowly and often resting. Along the hedges of the 
roads Tertas hecabe and several Lycanidz do not even attract our 
attention, they are so numerous! but we arrive at the “ sawahs,” 
