﻿244 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



CUCULLIA LYCHNITIS AND VERBASCI IN THE ChILTEEN DISTRICT. 



In the year 1893 I found a few larvae of C. lyclmitis feeding on their 

 food-plants on the sides of one of the Chiltern hills. From that time 

 I always associated this species with the dry hillsides, but during the 

 present month I have had cause to modify my views. I came 

 unexpectedly upon a waste piece of land some distance from the 

 hills, and the ground, which was in most places soft and spongy, 

 was covered with a profusion of the golden-yellow flowers of the 

 food-plants. By searching I obtained some dozens of the larvffi of 

 C. lyclmitis of all sizes, varying from the little larva just emerging 

 to the perils of caterpillar life, to the full-fed individual about to 

 burrow in the soil. It was interesting to note that the smaller larv» 

 were feeding on the flowers, whilst the largest were bravely attacking 

 the seeds. From the fact that larvse were taken of various sizes, it 

 is clear that the plants must have been visited by several female 

 moths. No doubt G. lyclmitis can adapt itself to circumstances in a 

 similar manner as C. verbasci does, for at one time or another I have 

 met with this latter larva on hill-tops, in valleys, and by the sides of 

 streams. Until this year I had never met with C. verbasci in the 

 Chilterns, but this July I came across plants in the hollows of the 

 hills that had been eaten to a " frazzle " by the larvae. They had, 

 however, "gone down," and I only met with a single belated 

 individual. — A. J. Spiller ; Chinnor, Oxon., August 24th, 1915. 



Abnormal Anthrocerid (Zyg^nid) Pairing. — M. Een6 Oberthiir 

 in a recent letter to me mentions a curious case of abnormal pairing. 

 He writes, under date August 28th last : "There has recently been 

 taken at Vernon, Euro, a Zygasnid coupled with Malacosoma neustria. 

 This sounds almost incredible, but the old authors who placed the 

 Zygffinids near the Bombycids appear to have been somewhere not so 

 far of the mark." There have been several cases reported of abnormal 

 pairing in this group; at one of the recent meetings of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of London I believe that it was stated that a pairing 

 with Dryas paphia had been observed. — H. Kowland-Brown ; 

 Harrow Weald, September 14th, 1915. 



HippAECHiA (Satyrus) semele AND Flowers. — Eespocting Mr. 

 H. Eowland-Brown's remarks on Hi^iparchia semele settling on 

 flowers, I may say that during many years observation I have only 

 very occasionally seen this butterfly settle on flowers ; in fact, as far 

 as my memory serves me, it was not until ten years ago that I first 

 saw this species feeding on blossoms, when on July 12th, 1905, at 

 3 p.m. in Cornwall, I was surprised to see within the space of a few 

 minutes, no less than three semele feasting on the nectar of three 

 different kinds of flowers, viz. centaury {ErytlircBa centaurium), 

 bramble {Ruhus friUicosus), and field thistle {Garchms acajithoides). 

 Again, on August 12th last, I observed and captured a female 

 example while settled and feeding on the blossoms of hedge calamint 

 {Galamintha clinopodium). — F. W. Frohawk ; September, 1915. 



_ Argynnids in West London. — On August 13th last I noticed a 

 pair of large Argynnids flying round and settling upon a golden 

 privet hedge in the garden here ; I am practically certain the species 

 was A. aglaia.—^. E. Taylor; 86, The Avenue, West Ealing, W. 



