63 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



lo the controversy now pending on the relative priority of 

 the emergence of males or females from the pupa, I may just 

 mention the res\ilts of a large brood of Nonagria gemini- 

 puncta. These were collected, by my V^rother and myself, in 

 the pupa state, by cutting them from the reeds, leaving them 

 however in the stems, which were placed upright in damp 

 sand : in this way they emerged after a few davs. and could 

 scarcely be. said to be affected by captivity, i'he males ap- 

 peared first, inasmuch as no female appeared the lirst two 

 days, and about the last two there were no males. They all 

 emerged about 4 p. m., and crawled up the stalks to dry 

 themselves, the males taking flight at dusk; and I should 

 imagine many were lost in this way, as the reed-bed was the 

 nightly resort of large flocks of small birds, which appeared 

 lo roost there. 1 will only mention, finally, that this is some 

 four or five years ago, but the facts were noted down at the 

 time. — G. R. Crolch ; University Library, Cambridge. 



Prior Appearance of Male or Female, dc. — JNly expe- 

 rience of thirty years in breeding Lepidoptcra, from Papilio 

 to Nepticula (the breeding-boxes and glass jars kept out of 

 doors, simply protected from rain), amounts to this, — Males 

 appear first. Take field experience, — and few people have 

 had more than myself, — the result is the same ; for example, 

 Melitasa Artemis, Erebia Cassiope, Satyrus Hyperantbus, 

 Chortobius Davus, Lycasna .Egon, L. Alexis, L. Alsus, L. 

 Agestis, Nemeobius Lucina, Ino Slatices, Zygaena Trifblii, 

 Z. F'ilipendulaj, Euthemonia Rnssnla, Chelonia Plantaginis, 

 C. caja, Bombyx Quercus, B. Etibi, Saturnia Carpini, Dicra- 

 nura bifida, ^iotodonia camelina, the Ta^niocampae, Amphy- 

 dasis ])rodion:aria, A. betularia, Fidonia atomaria, Larentia 

 imbutata, the Hyberniae, the Pyralides, Toririx Gerningiana, 

 T, Walkerana, T. lepidana. T. rusticana, &c. : in all these 

 species ,the males are the first to ap])ear in their widely- 

 difll'erent habitats — meadows, woods, bogs r.nd mountains. 

 Mr. Donbleday's assertion, that the males commence flying 

 when the females come out of the pupa', is not correct ; the 

 females are out and fully stretched lor some time belore the 

 males commence flying : take common illustrations in the 

 two species B. Quercus and S. Carpini ; both come out early 

 in the forenoon, and the males fly after midday : C. caja 

 comes out during the day, but the males are not attracted 



