( xlvi ) 



you to any observation of my own (or any one else's) of the 

 actual pairing.' 



"One chief interest of these observations upon V. urticx and 

 of Mr. Barrett's upon P. cardui is the evident instinct to hide 

 immediately before pairing and to remain hidden during the 

 period of copulation. This instinct, which probably accounts 

 for the deficiency in our knowledge on the subject, is readily 

 explicable when we remember that the insects become motion- 

 less, unaifected by disturbance, and thus an easy prey to any 

 of their enemies." 



Mr. A. J. Chitty confirmed the President's observations. 

 In April 1903, during the Easter holidays at Huntingfield, 

 Kent, he watched a pair of Vanessa urticx %ii^g together in a 

 part of a small wood where the trees were thin ; the female 

 settled on the ground and the male behind it with its head in 

 the same direction. The male walked up from behind until it 

 was almost touching it, and then commenced tapping the hind- 

 wings of the female with its antennae. During the time the 

 insects were remarkably tame, and allowed him to stand quite 

 near them. The female from time to time flew away and the 

 male followed, and they settled again and repeated the 

 performance. He watched them for about forty minutes, 

 hoping to see them pair, but they eventually flew away to 

 another part of the wood. 



Dr. T, A. Chapman exhibited two very interesting Erebias 

 caught by the President on the Guadarrama (near Madrid, 

 Spain) on July 25th, 1902. These were the only two taken, 

 although others were seen. The elevation at which they were 

 met with was probably about 6000 feet. Though taken to- 

 gether and very much alike, they proved to be of two species, 

 viz. E. evias and E. stygne, both males. Dr. Chapman remarked 

 that they were the same two species which he found last year 

 in Spain associated together and closely resembling each other, 

 which is not their habit in Switzerland. Continuing he said : 

 " Being single examples, we may fall into error, in assuming 

 them to be typical of the forms of these species occurring in 

 the Guadarrama, but no other course is open to us. The Evias 

 is much nearer the Swiss form than the Canales specimens, in 

 having the third apical spot well-developed and the rust- 



