52 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Most of our field Entomologists have noticed the male first 

 on the wing ; but Mr. Greene very truly says, " From this 

 non-appearance of the female on the wing, surely we cannot 

 infer, much less ought we to assert, that it is not in existence." 

 I offer the following fact, however, as really some proof For 

 the last seven or eight years I have regularly visited a locality 

 in which Melitaea Artemis is abundant : for the first week 

 only males were seen, although the females have been most 

 perseveiingly looked for among the grass, &c. : daily visits 

 showed that the males were wholly occupied in the sunsliine 

 in visiting flowers, on which they long rested : but in about 

 a week the scene became changed, for the females had ap- 

 peared ; most of them were seen silting on the grass-stems, 

 &c., and the males were roused to unwonted liveliness, no 

 longer attracted by the flowers, but by the fresh-born females. 

 1 have closely sciiitinized these females, and found they had 

 apparently just emerged from the chrysalis, and souie of theui 

 were unal:)le to flj', from their wings not having become suf- 

 ficiently rigid. This is of course only one fact, but it is a 

 fact, and not merely an inference; and 1 think we may there- 

 fore conclude that at least the male of M. Artemis emerges 

 generally about a week before the female. I have also ob- 

 ^served the males of Arge Galathea out some days before the 

 fen)ales, but have not been able to verify so conclusively, as 

 in the case of M. Artemis, the freshness of the emergeuce of 

 the female, though they appeared quite bright, while .some of 

 the males were slightly rubbed. 1 would suggest that in 

 seeking for the means of solving this question, preference be 

 given to insects which complete their metamorphosis and 

 emerge in one season, rather than those which pass the 

 winter in the pupa stale, as in this latter case elements of 

 uncertainty are liable to be introduced. — Joaepit Merrin ; 

 Glonceaier. 



Prior Appenrrince of Mole or Female, dv. — If I might 

 presuuje to step in between the coniending parties on the 

 " vexed question " of priority of aj)j)earance ol male -or female 

 among the Lepidoptera, 1 would suggest apian, the adoption 

 of which, on an extensive scale, n)ight lead, I ihink, to a 

 satisfactory solution of the difficulty. 1 agree entirely w'ith 

 Mr. Greene that there is very litile prospect of arriving at 

 the truth by studying the times of appraia/ice of the males 



