CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 39 
1895 I found pairs on March Ist, but I believe that was following a 
prolonged frost.) A very unfortunate statement appeared in a scientific 
agricultural paper about twenty-five years ago to the effect that the 
females were transported by the males when pairing. This statement 
has been copied over and over again in various agricultural papers, 
&e., and has deterred many fruit-growers from banding their trees. It 
is entirely unfounded, the male brwmata being quite incapable of 
flying with the female. Grease-banding, when properly carried out, 
is an effective remedy, the few ova laid below the bands being in- 
sufficient to cause harm. I notice that in this district brwmata 
flourishes more on the hills than in the valleys; last year and the 
year before this was very noticeable—Epwarp Goopwin, F.E.S. ; 
Canon Court, Wateringbury, Kent, January 14th, 1909. 
On THE Errect oF REARING LARVEZ OF VANESSA URTICH IN 
DarkneEss.—The above experiment was carried out in the summer of 
1908 on larve collected in Huntingdonshire. My object was to 
ascertain the effect, if any, of breeding a large number of these larvae 
from the ovum or very early youth to the commencement of the 
pupal stage entirely, or almost entirely, in total darkness. The 
temperature of the breeding-cage was frequently taken, and was that 
of the outside air. The larvee were abundantly supplied with food, 
and they fed up in the same time as others kept under ordinary con- 
ditions. They were much darker than ordinary, being almost as 
black as those of V. to, with almost total obliteration of the yellow 
spiracular line: the pupz were also extremely dark as was antici- 
pated. Fifty-five butterflies emerged, and twenty-one were note- 
worthy as having an extension of the black spot on the inner margin 
towards the second costal spot. In a few cases these two spots were 
joined by a black line, as in var. polarzs, but more often by black 
scales between the two; the ground colour of the wings underwent 
no change. The proportion of butterflies with this black scaling was 
far higher than in a large number which as larve were given as much 
sunshine as possible, and others which had their food-plants saturated 
with water many times a day; the proportion among these was not 
more than five per cent. 1 have had no leisure to examine each 
specimen critically, and this note must be looked on as a pre- 
liminary announcement only.—(Lieut.-Col. R.A.M.C.) N. MANDERs ; 
Colombo, Ceylon. 
CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 
STENOCEPHALUS AGILIS AND CORIXA AFFINIS (ATOMARIA) IN LAN- 
CASHIRE.—I took a single specimen of the former in Liverpool (July) 
and of the latter at Birkdale in May last. These are, I believe, the 
first specimens recorded for this county.—Oscar WHITTAKER ; Ls 
Lancaster Road, Birkdale, December 22nd, 1908. 
THYPHLOCYBA DEBILIS, Dougl., iv Lancasnrre.—I took a speci- 
men of this rare species on dwarf sallow here in July last year.— 
OscaR WHITTAKER. 
