14 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Europe in a state of nature. I have females taken at Luchon, in 
the Pyrenees, in 1872, that exceed two inches in wing expanse ; 
and one captured on the blue pimpernels, at the side of the 
Palladolid Canal, in 1884, that only measures (one inch and 
seven lines), broadly speaking, an inch and a half. I may remark 
that the former were captured in the elevated misty valley of the 
Poet’s Narcissus, or Val-de-Lys, in the month of May; and the 
latter was captured on the dry limestone and sand of Castile on 
the 5th of July, in the summer heat. So, likewise, I have males, 
taken at Luchon, that measure two inches and a half; and one 
from the Plains of Lombardy, taken in 1878, that only measures 
one inch and eleven lines; I believe it to be one of the summer 
brood. Many of our butterflies, as I could show, become larger, 
and are so in more congenial conditions on the plains of Southern 
Europe. The lucern probably grows too dry, or the heats are too 
languid there for the full development of Colias edusa.—A. H. 
Swinton; Binfield House, Guildford, December, 1885. 
SPHINX PINASTRI AND OTHER SPHINGIDZ AT ALDEBURGH. 
—During a recent visit to Aldeburgh, Suffolk, I had the 
pleasure of making the acquaintance of a British larva of Sphinx 
pinastri, which was in the possession of Dr. Hele, who has been 
successful in the capture and breeding of this rare insect. On 
enquiring into its history I was informed by Dr. Hele that in 
June last he had taken at rest upon a pine tree a crippled female, 
which laid two fertile eggs, from which he obtained two larve. 
One of these larve unfortunately died, the remains of which I 
saw, but the survivor was a very healthy example; and I since 
learn was successfully photographed the day before it went to 
earth. I also had the opportunity of examining a goodly number 
of the specimens which he had taken in previous years, or reared 
from the eggs which he had procured from captured females, 
together with the pupa-cases, which are very similar to those of 
Sphinx ligustri, but of smaller size. In addition to the specimens 
exhibited by Dr. Hele, I saw a specimen that was captured at 
rest near the church by a son of the vicar. I may own that at 
one time I was sceptical as to the genuineness of the title of this 
species as a British insect, and that before my visit to Aldeburgh 
I regarded the alleged capture as a possible imposture; but 
incredulity has given place to conviction, and I consider that the 
position of S. pinastri in our fauna is materially strengthened. 
