230 LEriDOPTERA. 



another almost entirely dark brown with all the pale spots 

 indistinct ; but all these are modifications of the general 

 range of variation, and striking aberrations seem, in this 

 species, to be almost unknown. One, however, has just come 

 under my notice, in a male taken last month (August 1892), 

 by Major Still in a damp valley under Dartmoor. Its fore 

 wings have most of the usual pale spots, more or less faintly 

 indicated, but the hind show no trace whatever of the usual 

 black spots, or of their yellow rings, or of any marking what- 

 ever except two minute white dots which would have been 

 the pupils of the black spots had they existed ; the entire 

 upper side of the hind wings with this exception being of a 

 l)lackish olive-brown. The colour of the under side of the 

 hind wings, in this specimen, is hardly affected, but that 

 of the fore wings is an unusual shade of tawny olive-brown. 

 Altogether it is a most interesting specimen. 



On the wing early in April, or even, in a warm spring, 

 before the end of March, and re-appearing at intervals until 

 the end of autumn. In the south of Surrey, in 1862, the 

 first emergence took place early in April in abundance, these 

 specimens became worn and disappeared, and a second emer- 

 gence took place at the end of May, a third at the end of 

 July, and a fourth in September ; the next year the first 

 emergence was in the third week in March, and again four 

 broods were observed, but this is not the case every year, 

 three emergences being probably the rule. Mr. P. W. 

 Hawes has just forwarded some information obtained from 

 the south of Ireland which is greatly to the point. The 

 earliest emergence there (Co. Cork) is towards the end of 

 April, and in moderately fine seasons further emergences 

 taice place in June, August, and October. Eggs were 

 deposited on May 6th, from which the butterflies appeared at 

 the end of June ; and from other larvas fed up in October the 

 butterflies emerged in November. The Rev. J. Hellins 

 reared the butterflies in the middle of August from ecrgrs 

 laiil at the end of June, but doubtless tlie warmth or coldness 



