336 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



is of course well-known as a cockney moth. I forward this note 

 with a view to its being of use to any entomologist who is 

 contemplating the production of a complete list of metropolitan 

 insects.— B. Meldola ; 6, Brunswick Square, W.C., Aug. 4, 1887. 

 Lepidoptera in MoNMot3THSHiRE. — Having had three weeks' 

 and a half collecting in Monmouthshire, I may say that I have 

 found the latter part of July and the beginning of August a very 

 favourable time there for insects. Among others, I was pleased 

 at securing a long series of Vanessa c-album, which were very 

 common in all parts, but especially near Tintern Abbey on the 

 banks of the Wye. It occurred most frequently on the black- 

 berry, disputing possession with Argynnis paphia, which was also 

 one of the commonest species here. I took one peculiar variety 

 of a male 2)apliia, in which the black markings on the under side 

 of one of the fore wings are run into one large blotch, extending 

 from near the base to beyond the centre of the wing. I 

 took Argynnis adippe and A. aglaia sparingly on sunny days 

 between Usk and Chepstow, and in other parts. I notice that 

 Newman gives Heullis Wood as the only locality in the county, 

 but if looked for I have no doubt they would be found in many 

 other parts. Vanessa urticcB was one of the commonest butterflies 

 everywhere ; and in the middle of July I also saw the larva of 

 V. io, and took the perfect insect fresh from the chrysalis a little 

 later. Melanarge galatea appears to be rather scarce ; I saw a 

 few specimens in Went Wood, four miles from Usk. Pararge 

 egeria and P. megcera were frequent, but not common ; probably 

 the second brood would not be out till a little later in the year. 

 I secured a few specimens of EpinejjJiele ianira with one or more 

 wings bleached ; all of these were females. E. tithonus and 

 E. hyperanthes occurred in every part of Monmouthshire in great 

 numbers ; I took one variety of the latter insect in which the 

 usual rings on the under side are reduced to four white points on 

 each of the lower wings, and are quite absent from the fore wings. 

 Coenonympha pamphilus was not uncommon ; and I took speci- 

 mens of Polyommatus phloeas, and several of the genus Lyccena. 

 I am not aware whether any varieties of the under side of Lyccena 

 icariis have been noticed,* but among those I took some have no 

 eye -spots at all on the fore wings between the discoidal sj)ot and 

 the basef; some have in this space two and others three eye- 

 * Entom. 75. + Var. icarinus, Scriba. 



