678 Mr. G. F. Leigh on Syncpigonic series of 



October 18 and 26, some of the larvae lagging behind the 

 others in their rate of growth. Another change is now 

 witnessed ; for the larvae of the last stage are blue-green 

 (exactly matching the food-plant), with small orange 

 spiraea lar spots and two blue spots invariably preseut 

 on tlie third segment, other segments being sometimes 

 similarly marked. 



The larvae began to attach themselves preparatory to 

 pupation on October 27, and continued to mature for 

 about a fortnight. The situation generally selected was 

 a part of the food-plant where a leaf had been eaten 

 completely away; although some pupated upon the netting 

 and some upon the sides of the tin. Six larvae were killed 

 for preservation, and a certain number failed to pupate ; 

 but I obtained 56 healthy chrysalides, all of which were 

 green, exactly matching the shade of the leaves of the 

 food-plant. 



Tlie imagines began to emerge November 7, and con- 

 tinued to come out up to the 22nd. 



It is often stated that the males of Lepidoptera tend to 

 emerge before the females, a conclusion which my experi- 

 ence by no means confirms. In this case the first two 

 which emerged were both females. I did not keep an 

 account of the emergences after this, but the largest 

 number to appear in one day was 11, of which 7 were 

 females. According to my usual experience with bred 

 sj)ecimens there were a larger number of females than 

 males, viz. 27 to 18. The 11 remaining pupae either dried 

 up or produced cripples.* 



All the specimens were smaller than those of the same 

 broods captured in the wild state, and this I trace to the 

 artificial conditions inseparable from the described method 

 of breeding. 



In nature the females are far rarer than the males ; one 

 might probably see twenty-five of the latter to one of the 

 former. The female, I believe, flies but little in the open 

 except when engaged in oviposition. Only two or three 

 eggs are laid (m each plant, and those growing under trees 

 or otherwise in the shade are the most frequented. The 



* In future work of this kind Avhen the material bears upon 

 problems in heredity of the utmost importance and complexity, 

 every dead pupa and every crippled specimen should be carefully 

 preserved ; for the lens would certainly reveal the sex, while dissection 

 would in many cases reveal the variety. — E. B. P. 



