NOTES ON LEPIDOPTERA FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN. 81 



know. Upon the tops of many of the hills, where the soil is thin 

 and the ground very stony, there is no attempt at cultivation, 

 and here, as well as in some places that are reserved by the 

 Government, there are quantities of asphodel which flower from 

 December to February, and spiked star of Bethlehem. The 

 upper part of the large bulb of the latter is usually above ground, 

 and it throws out thick fleshy leaves in the winter and spring 

 months, but they die away in the hot weather, and in September 

 and October the plant sends up a single tall stem, three or four 

 feet high, which terminates in a long spike composed of in- 

 numerable small white flowers, which at that time of year, when 

 everything around is dead and parched up, have rather a singular 

 and conspicuous appearance. 



I will now give a rough list of the Lepidoptera I met with at 

 Malta between November, 1896, and December, 1897 : — 



Pajrilio machaon, L. — Is to be met with between the middle of 

 March and end of October in small numbers. There appear to be a 

 succession of broods, and it is usually most plentiful in April and May. 

 The larvse are to be found upon fennel, which grows rather commonly 

 about the island, but is mostly dead or dried up by the end of October, 

 so I do not know what becomes of ova deposited by females that are 

 then on the wing. It is possible that the eggs do not hatch until the 

 following March, or the perfect insects may hybernate, although I do 

 not think this is likely, as it would be contrary to the usual habits of 

 the species. Maltese examples of this butterfly are large and dark. 



Pieris brussicee, L. — Abundant, and may be frequently seen on 

 warm days during the three winter mouths. The females of the early 

 autumn brood have the tips of their anterior wings broadly black, and 

 the black spots are much larger than in those of the earlier broods. 



Pieris rupee, L. — Abundant, and occurs throughout the year. Some 

 of the females of the autumnal brood are of a deep olive-yellow. 



Pieris daplidice, L. — Common but local. Observed on Nov. 25th 

 a fresh specimen on the slopes above Calcara Gate, where it was 

 tolerably numerous during the first fortnight of March, 1897, at which 

 period I noticed the females depositing their eggs on the under sides of 

 the leaves of the wild radish. Another brood was on the wing on 

 July 18th, upon which day something caught my eye as I was passing 

 a small plant of wild yellow antirrhinum, and upon stooping down I 

 saw it was an example of this species. I tried to box it, but it was 

 too quick for me and flew off, and, after flying round and round for 

 several times, it returned and pitched on the same flower. I again 

 tried to box it, and again failed, when it repeated the same manoeuvres, 

 alighting again on the same flower ; but this time I succeeded in 

 boxing it. It was late in the afternoon, and the butterfly had evidently 

 selected this particular flower for its resting place for the night ; the 

 colour of its hind wings harmonized well with the green and greenish 

 yellow of its surroundings. The next day I noticed several flying on 

 the slope above Calcara Gate. 



Colins edusa, F. — Common throughout the year, and the var. helice 

 occasionally seen. 



