44 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



these genera which occurred. Of the former, Bomhus lucorum, B. 

 latereillellus, B. jonillus and B. lapponicus were the only species 

 seen. One female of Psythyrus quadricolor was taken. B. lapj^onicus 

 was disappointingly rare, only one female being seen during the 

 whole of my stay. Vespa rufa and its supposed parasite V. austraica 

 were not uncommon in the Black Wood and around the farm at 

 which I stayed. Several examples of the latter could be noted each 

 day without any searching ; they were all females. — W. G. Sheldon. 



' Seitz' Macrolepidoptera of the World.' Vol. IV : " Pal.e- 

 ARCTic Geometrid^." — We understand that the English and French 

 editions of this volume are now complete and can be had of the 

 publishers. 



Scarcity of Aglais urtic^. — Eeferring to Mr. Eowland Brown's 

 note under this heading (' Eutom.,' lii, p. 277). I made a special 

 attempt to obtain larvae of this butterfly at the end of July and the 

 beginning of August in the hope of obtaining some aberrations and 

 visited many places in Surrey and Sussex, but met with very little 

 success. On August 3rd last, at Worthing, I took two webs contain- 

 ing in all about sixty larvte which were then little more than a quarter 

 of an inch in length. The larvae were exceedingly voracious and fed 

 up with great rapidity, having all gone up to the top of the breeding- 

 cage within eight days, and eventually I had fifty-four pupae. Towards 

 the end of the month, finding no emergence, I carefully examined 

 the pupa3, and was very surprised in view of the size of the larvae when 

 taken and disgusted to find that the cage was alive with very small 

 " Ichneumons " which were still emerging from holes in the sides of 

 the pupae, with the result that not a single butterfly emerged and four 

 only of the pupae had not been holed. During the autumn I took one 

 specimen of this butterfly only, and that was in my garden here. 

 During the season (1919) I had more larvie and pupa in my breed- 

 ing-cages than usual and the percentage of "• ichneumoned " larvse 

 and pup^e has been very much higher. Out of twenty-one larvae of 

 Abraxas grossulariata only three had escaped parasitic attention. I 

 should be interested to hear if other collectors have noticed an increase 

 of parasites this season, and if so this may to a certain extent account 

 for the scarcity of such a usually common butterfi}'- as A. urticce. — 

 A. M. Longhurst ; " Artro," St. James's Avenue, Hampton Hill, 

 Middlesex. 



CoLiAs EDUSA IN BRITAIN, 1919. — As CoUcis edusct has been 

 reported from only a few localities in 1919, and none between Lei- 

 cester and Aberdeen, the following observations by reliable friends 

 may be worth recording. (1) Westmorland. — One C. cdusa seen 

 about three miles south of Kenday, on September 6th, by Mr. Arthur 

 Thoms. (2) Isle-of-Man. — One C. cdusa seen on Bradda Head, Sep- 

 tember 15th, by Mr. John Booth. In both cases a near and clear 

 view of the insect was obtained. Mr. Mansbridge informs me that 

 he has heard of no record for Lancashire or Cheshire this year, but I 

 may mention a capture at Hest Bank, near Lancaster, by Mr. 

 Mawson. Evidently there has been a greater number of C. cdusa 

 this year in Britain than records up to the present indicate. — J. D, 

 Ward; Limehurst, Grange-over-Sands. 



