NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 159 



species and of P. rapce, are due to their larvae having changed to 

 chrysahds in some warm window corner, where the sun's rays shone 

 upon them, so that tliey were more or less forced. I did not see 

 P. rapcB until two days later, and the first Cclastrina argiolus was 

 observed the same day, flying about some ivy in my garden. I have 

 not seen another, and it is generally plentiful here, particularly the 

 second brood. The first Euchloc cardamines was noted on May 9th, 

 and I daresay I should have seen it before if I had been able to visit 

 its haunts. On May 22nd I counted ten males in the lane when I 

 released some North Devon bred examples last year. Pararge megcera 

 was out in some numbers at the same time, and also one or two 

 Pohjomviatus icarus. On May 26th, while passing through a yard, I 

 saw a P. brassicce, that had only just emerged from its chrysalis on 

 an adjacent wall, flutter down in front of three hens. They just looked 

 at it, but made no attempt to seize it. I have previously observed 

 that poultry will not touch white butterflies, or the larvae of brassiccs. 

 They are evidently distasteful to them. Cce,nomjmp}m2Mmi)hilus was 

 out in numbers by the middle of May. Hibernating Vanessids have 

 been very scarce. I have only seen two Aglais urticm and eight 

 Vanessa io since March 19th, and there are no nests of larvae yet to be 

 seen on the nettles. With regard to moths I cannot say much, as I 

 have not been to the woods, nor do I go out at night. But the larvae 

 of Arctia villica have been rather numerous. I saw the first on 

 March 19th, and the last on April 30th. I took 180 of them 

 altogether on the chance of breeding varieties. The first moth 

 appeared on May 27th, and up to the present date I have bred 125^ 

 and among them are several very nice examples of my ab. ivardi 

 {vide 'Entom.,' xlvii, pp. 41-42) and other varieties finer, I 

 think, than any I have bred before. Of course all typical specimens 

 were given their liberty. June 2nd was very warm, and after 

 breakfast I went to the sea bank to release some that had emerged 

 the previous day. Soon after I got there I saw two villica flying 

 wildly about in the hot sun, and one of them was ab. loardi. I had 

 no net, but managed to knock it down with the palm of my hand as 

 it fluttered over the coarse grass. I was then able to box it, but 

 unfortunately it was not a very good specimen. Euclidia mi was 

 flying in great profusion, and appeared to be fine and fresh. Cceno- 

 mjm'pha pavipJiihts was flying everywhere with Pararge megcera. The 

 temperature this day was 73° in the shade. Two days after, June 4th, 

 at 8 a.m. the thermometer stood at 48°, and it did not rise higher 

 than 53° all day, or 20° degrees lower than on the 2nd. I went to 

 the same place again in the forenoon to release more villica, and there 

 was not an insect flying. I only saw one C. pcwiphilus, which I 

 brushed ofl' the grass as I walked through it. — Geevase F. Mathew ; 

 Dovercourt, Essex, June 9th, 1920. 



Hibernation of Pyrameis atalanta. — In reference to this 

 question my own experience is undoubtedly in favour of its doing 

 so. In January, 1909 (January 27th, I think), I saw some men 

 demolishing an old wood-stack at Lydiard Park, and they called my 

 attention to a number of " dead " butterflies they were finding there. 

 The species were nrticce and ro, at least a dozen of each, but I was 



