NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 89 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Hibernation of Aglais uRTici[<:, etc. — A projjos of Mr. H. 

 Eowland-Brown's note regarding the early hibernation of A. urticcB in 

 1918 {cm tea, p. 68), I may say my own observations coincide ex'actly 

 with his. In August the species was plentiful, and in September I only 

 netted one specimen — on the 28th. This was a male of a very nice 

 form, having connected black scales on the costal area and but a slight 

 blackish suffusion on the hind wings. I have bred something 

 approaching this, but it is new to me as a wild form. Whilst cycling 

 to Radlett on October 8th a pair of A. urticce were seen apparently 

 searching for winter quarters, and this constituted my last record of 

 the species for the year, although I made a number of excursions 

 until the end of November. P. atalanta was frequent in West Herts, 

 particularly in the neighbourhood of Berkhamsted, last April, and 

 numbers of the larval " tents " were seen on various occasions during 

 the summer. Many larvae were badly ichneumoned in early July, 

 and the parasite must have done its deadly w^ork only too well, for I 

 did not come across a single imago later on in the year. Other 

 observers in our district have had a kindred experience. In reference 

 to the vexed question of the hibernation of P. atalanta in this country, 

 I see I have a record of the insect on the wing as early as February 

 17th. This, too, in an inland district. Eather an early immigrant ! 

 P. cardui was fairly plentiful with us last July, but disappeared at 

 the end of the month. I could not obtain either ova or larvae, 

 although I examined many plants of Carduus arvensis and C. lanceo- 

 latns, and even C. nutans, the musk thistle, which sometimes seems 

 to inspire the Painted Lady with affection. I have one or two 

 records of the hibernating freaks of V. io which may be of interest. 

 Some years ago I was spending the Easter holiday at an Essex 

 bungalow, and whilst adjusting a ventilator— of the sliding grille type 

 — came across three dead specimens of io. They appeared to have 

 been there all the winter, and why they should have chosen such a 

 draughty " dug-out " I cannot say. It would have been an easy 

 matter to have selected a cosy corner in the rafters. On another 

 occasion I found a hibernating cluster of five F. io on the rafters of an 

 outhouse, huddled together like so many fowls in severe weather. 

 Taken with Mr. Rowland-Brown's observations on the habits of A. 

 urticce it would seem that gregarious hibernation is common to both 

 species. It would be interesting to ascertain definitely to what 

 extent the habit applies to the other allied Vanessids. — Ernest M. 

 NiMMY ; 210, Whippendell Road, Watford, Herts. 



Hibernation, etc., of Aglais urtice. — I was much interested in 

 Mr. Rowland-Brown's letter upon these subjects, for they happen to 

 have come before my notice lately. With regard to the early 

 hibernation of A. urticce, a specimen settled down for its winter 

 quarters on August 5th of last year on the cornice of the upstairs 

 landing in my house. The spot is well lit and quite open to observa- 

 tion, but the insect remained there until February 18th this year. A 

 warm day then brought it down from its post, and on examination I 



ENTOM. APRIL, 1919. I 



