NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 163 
of this insect flying across a meadow, in which I was standing net in hand. 
I was extremely surprised at such an unusual sight, and immediately gave 
chase, watched till edusa settled down, crept cautiously nearer and nearer 
till just within range, and then—off it flew! I again hotly pursued it, and 
had the satisfaction of seeing it fly over a tall hawthorn hedge. I spent the 
rest of that day in mental self-vituperation, as I never expected to see edusa 
again in Enfield. However, on the following Monday (Whit-Monday), I saw 
two others, and my spirits have risen accordingly, as I anticipate an “‘ edusa 
year.” I believe the periodical abundance of insects has never been satis- 
factorily explained; it appears to me strange that V. cardui and P. gamma 
should turn up in abundance in seasons of such a widely different character 
as 1888 and 1892. If I remember rightly, the weather in 1888 was 
miserably wet and cold, whereas this summer bids fair to rival that 
of 1887.—Henry D. Syxes ; The Cedars, Enfield, June 7, 1892. 
CoLouR-VARIATION IN THE Ova or Biston arrTaRIA.—I have read 
with interest Mr. Adkin’s note (Hutom. 129) on the ‘ Colour-variation in 
the Ova of Biston hirtaria.” Last winter I received some pupe of Biston 
hirtaria from London, and two of the insects emerged on April 6th. After 
pairing, I shut the female up in a box with leno, and the next day she laid 
thirty-three eggs, which were of a brilliant grass-green colour, which, after some 
days, gradually turned a darker green, and finally deep purple, the ends of 
the eggs falling in. The larve hatched out on May 8th, and are now nearly 
full-grown, having fed on plum.— Doveias H. Pzarson; The College, 
Chilwell, Notts, June 11, 1892. 
ASSEMBLING IN LeEpipoprERA.—With reference to Mr. Sykes’ in- 
teresting article on this subject (Kntom. 84) I have pleasure in informing 
him that I have noticed this habit in Melanthia rubiginata on one occasion 
last autumn, as many as eight or ten males being around the female at one 
time, and on several of the males being captured their places were almost 
immediately occupied by others. The night was very warm, and the wind 
S.W. Another species which assembles is Hepialus hectus.—WILLIAM 
Hewett; Howard St., York. 
Apropos of Mr. Butler’s remarks concerning the assembling of male 
Sphingide by means of a crippled female (Entom. 118), it is noteworthy that 
Weismann, in the ‘ Theory of Descent,’ mentions that by pinning a female 
Smerinthus to a tree, in an exposed situation in a favourable locality for the 
species, she is sure, during the night, to be visited by a male of the same 
species, and will subsequently lay fertile ova. It seems remarkable that a 
pairing should be effected under such conditions. The following instance 
of assembling once came under my own observation :—Noticing a buzzing 
group of Zygena filipendule, I found it to consist of several males hovering 
over what appeared to be a recently paired couple of the same species. On 
separating the two, and removing the male, the attentions of another male 
were almost immediately accepted by the female, and pairing ensued. 
Merrin, in his ‘ Lepidopterist’s Calendar,’ mentions that Lithosia caniola 
may be obtained by ‘‘ assembling ” with a virgin female.—R. M. Pripeavux; 
9, Vyvyan Terrace, Clifton, May 19, 1892. 
BREPHOS PARTHENIAS AT DetamEeRe Forrsr.—In the ‘ Entomologist ’ 
for last month (Entom. 146), Mr. Arkle records, for the first time, the 
capture of Brephos parthenias at Delamere Forest. I think it may interest 
him, and others of your readers, to know that it has been twice previously 
