148 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
at the same time widely distributed in England. ‘The occurrence 
of atropos in the British Islands since 1864 is as follows:— 
scarce—1866, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1879, 1881, 1883; 
common in certain localities only—1867, 1869, 1870, 1871, 
1872, 1877, 1880, 1882, 1884; widely distributed and generally 
common—1865, 1868, 1878, 1885. 
Looking over the dates of capture, I find that during the past 
twenty years one or more examples of atropos have been taken in 
each month from May to November inclusively. ‘The latter date, 
however, appears to be exceptional, as only one is recorded for 
this month. July stands next in order with two; June and 
August three each ; May and October five each. For September 
the records are not altogether clear, but I find that ten specimens 
are distinctly noted as having been captured in this month. It 
would therefore seem that September is pre-eminently the month 
for imagines of atropos, at least in certain years, as August 
appears to be for larve of the species. As regards the larva, the 
earliest recorded date is July 30th, when a dozen larve were 
found at Burton-on-Trent, in 1878, feeding on Lycium barbarum, 
and the latest October. The last refers to a single larva found, 
together with twenty-six pupe, in potato fields near Liverpool, 
also in 1878. Packman assures me that he has sometimes 
obtained examples almost full fed at the end of June. 
I may add that in Morocco atropos is on the wing in March, 
and at Algiers and various places along the Mediterranean 
imagines are frequent in August, while at Gallipoli, on the 
European side of the Sea of Marmora, Mr. G. IF’. Mathew has 
found larve of the species abundant in October and November. 
The earliest date at which pupe of atropos have been obtained 
in a state of nature in this country is, as far as I am aware, the 
end of August. These disclosed imagines in September. When 
the potatoes are raised in September and October is, however, 
the time that pupz usually come into the possession of 
entomologists. Various plans for forcing the imago of atropos 
have recently been referred to in these pages, and I notice that 
employed by Dr. Livett, ante, p. 126, because the results obtained 
contrast so curiously with Mr. Anderson’s experiment (Entom. 
xi., 188). The latter gentleman used what may be termed the 
‘“‘dry process,’ and from twelve pup obtained eight imagines, 
but not one of these could be considered forced. ‘The order of 
