NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF GONEPTERYX CLEOPATRA.. 5 



must, without any doubt whatever, have wintered in the pupal 

 state. We had had warm March days that had brought out our 

 few surviving males, and most of the females. Then, in April, 

 this male appeared and was first noticed when its wings were 

 barely dry. 



Very few males winter successfully with us, and those that do, 

 live but a short time in the spring. A very few virgin females 

 also come through, those, in all probability, that emerge too late 

 m the autumn to pair. We have noticed spring pairings. 



As a general rule the females pair at once if the weather is 

 warm ; indeed, they most frequently pair before flying at all. 

 This was first noticed by us when we took to pinning out freshly 

 emerged butterflies that w^ere still hanging to the empty pupa 

 case. The males find them out, and pair with them as soon as 

 their wings are dry. 



As far as the females are concerned this is by far the most 

 satisfactory hibernating insect we have dealt with. They feed up 

 beautifully on buddleias, scabious, valerian, etc., and retire for 

 the winter on the underside of ivy, R. alaternus, laurestinus, and 

 other evergreens. Very few deaths occur among the females, but 

 the males are a much more difficult proposition. A lamp inspec- 

 tion at the end of October (at the risk of being arrested and shot !) 

 showed that we have forty or fifty facing the present winter. 



The weak point in their life history, as far as our climate 

 is concerned, is that tbe tiny larvae in the spring succumb to 

 three or four degrees of frost, and, as we seldom escape spring 

 frosts, it is necessary to treat them more or less artiticially at 

 that time of the year. 

 East Farleigh, Kent, 



November, 1916. 



NOTES ON THE LARVAL AND PUPAL STAGES 

 IN SOME OF THE SESIID^. 

 By Colonel E. H. Rattray. 

 In continuation of my notes in Entom. xlviii, pp. 9-12, 

 I am adding a few notes I made during the years 1915 and 

 1916. I regret that, owing to my duties, I have only been able 

 to give a very little time to the work. I have, however, verified 

 to a large extent my former deductions and modify them to a 

 small extent. 



I have only been able to deal with the following species : 

 TrochiUiLin craboniformis, Sesia culicijormis, and Sesia andrencS' 

 formis. 



^ As regards T. crahroniformis I have, now that I know the 

 district better, found them even commoner than I thought 

 before. During the year 1915 I obtained over fifty full-fed 

 larvae and a good number that had not yet spun up. During 

 1916 I had less lime at my disposal, so did not do so well ; I, 



