212 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



zig-zags just as they do when flying. I searched in vain for the 

 cocoons, puUing up and carefully searching such water plants as 

 Potamogcton lucens, crispus, "pectinatus, natans, etc., also a lot of 

 AnacJiaris alsinastrum. I hope for better luck in this matter next 

 season. The males are now getting much less abundant and the 

 females a little more common. It may be interesting to note that 

 in the past month I have taken in this parish all our " china marks," 

 counting niveus as one, stratiotata being by far the least common 

 of the five, followed by the beautiful stagnalis, with niveus in the 

 rear, the latter the most common of the five. The females with 

 their long, vei'y flimsy, nearly transparent wings and wholly dark 

 bodies remind me very much of large winged ants, and I suppose 

 wings are given to both insects for very similar purposes. I have 

 just received a letter from Mr. Burrows in which he informs me 

 that he used to meet with this curious moth when at school here 

 as far back as 1871 so that my meeting with it forty-six years after 

 that date can hardly be claimed as a discovery ! — A. Thurnall ; 

 Wanstead, August 15th, 1917. 



Eemarks on Evidences of Intelligence in Certain Butter- 

 plies. — Euvanessa antiopa greatly dislikes a high wind and will 

 take shelter almost anywhere in order to avoid it. On one occasion 

 when a high wind was blowing down the upper valley of the Tech 

 an antiop)a flew into a slight anfractuosity of rock, the uneven 

 surface of which rendered the employment of the net impossible. 

 I therefore tried to take it with my hand, but although I caught 

 it by one wing it dexterously extricated itself and dived into the 

 heart of a box bush whence it would have been difficult to dislodge 

 it. We are accustomed to consider butterflies — if we consider tlie 

 matter at all — as indifferent to one another's sufferings — as indeed 

 almost all animals appear to be — but I will relate an incident which 

 indicates that such is not really the case. Rain had fallen in 

 torrents on July 17th at La Preste and on the following morning 

 the grass was completely saturated with moisture. On it lay an 

 unfortunate Parnassius apollo utterly helpless, unable to move and 

 to all appearance dead. A more fortunate individual, which had 

 somehow escaped a drenching, was flying about, perceived the 

 luckless one and immediately went to its assistance, and, nestling 

 close to the damp body of its almost defunct companion, apparently 

 attempted thus to restore animation and was so intent upon this 

 work that it permitted me to lift it in my hand together with the 

 benumbed insect without attempting to escape nor did it cease to 

 nestle close to the other until the latter showed signs of returning 

 animation, it then flew away. I placed the feeble apollo on a 

 sunny wall and it was soon able to fly a little. Tbis is the most 

 signal instance of assistance to a distressed companion that has 

 come under my notice amongst insects. I do not think that the 

 action can be interpreted in another manner. Had doubters seen 

 the incident their doubts would, I think, have been dissipated. 

 Ants assist one another to drag burdens ; scarabs assist as well 

 as hinder each other ; why, then, should not butterflies also assist 

 one another? This is a kind of assistance which must not be 



