NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 213 



" Upon one occasion a few years ago a tages settled upon the back 

 of my hand and sucked up a drop of perspiration." It is well known 

 that various species of butterflies readily feed upon any moisture 

 they can find, especially during hot, dry weather. I have watched 

 several different kinds drinking at dirty puddles, the drainings from 

 manure yards, and the liquid exuding from the droppings of cattle 

 and dead animals, but I have not observed them drinking their own 

 excretion. — F. W. Frohawk. 



Variation of Limenitis sibylla in the New Forest. ^During 

 a visit of ten days to the New Forest last July two friends, Capt. 

 Johnstone, his brother Douglas and myself captured fourteen 

 varieties of Limenitis sibylla (no fewer than six fell to Mr. D. 

 Johnstone's net), showing great variation from partial to almost 

 complete obliteration of the white markings. The four which I 

 captured exhibit an interesting graduation of variation. No. 1 has all 

 the white markings reduced in size and those near the costa suffused 

 with black scales. No. 2, the markings still further reduced, espe- 

 cially those of the secondaries, which are mostly ash-grey in colour. 

 No. 3 has the white of the primaries still more reduced and tlio 

 secondaries black with merely a faint dusting of lighter scales in the 

 centre of the wings. No. 4 is wholly black, with the exception of 

 a whitish spot close to the middle of the outer margin of the primaries 

 and a faint clouding towards the inner margin of the right wing 

 only ; the secondaries are wholly black. This is var. nigrina. Three 

 other specimens I obtained are equally variable ; these I have set to 

 show undersides. No. 5 is intermediate between the normal type 

 and nigrina, which may be classed as semi-nig rina. No. 6 has the 

 band of the right secondary obliterated, while that on the left side is 

 fairly well developed ; the primaries are as in semi-nigrina. No. 7 is 

 true nigrina and has the secondaries (underside) handsomely rayed. 

 Among the seven specimens are two nigrina and three semi-nigrina, 

 Nos. 1 and 2 approaching the latter. We also captured a few sibylla 

 with one or more wings partially or wholly faintly bleached. It is 

 remarkable that this species has apparently become so variable 

 recently. During our visit we saw about a dozen other more or less 

 black varieties taken by different collectors. At the end of the 

 eighties and during the nineties I visited the Forest in July for seven 

 years and only once saw a black sibylla, which I was unable to 

 secure, but during July, 1896, between two and three dozen were 

 captured — a year I missed going there. Since then I believe it 

 remained a rarity until last year, when several were seen and taken. — 

 F. W. Frohawk. 



The Ee-discovery of Anthrocera Achillea in Scotland. — I 

 congratulate Mr. P. C. Eeid on his enterprise in endeavouring to 

 rediscover this species in Scotland, and the success which has 

 attended his efforts (see antca, p. 188), but I hope he will pardon my 

 pointing out that he has used my name in connection with the species 

 in a sense that I think is not correct. Mr. Eeid says " that Mr. 

 Sheldon in 1898 took a worn Zygaenid at the head of Loch Etive 

 which he thought might prove to be of this species." So far as I 

 am aware the only sources of information on the subject available to 



