174 Mr. L. W. Ngan on Hybernation of Vanessa atalanta. 
mornings ; they would settle on the curtains with wings 
expanded and sun themselves; they would also feed from 
my hand, and enjoyed a piece of apple with sugar sprinkled 
on it, or a banana; they seemed to like the extra space, 
and the exercise, I thought, would keep them strong, as 
they took so much food. 
In February I lost a second specimen, which flew into 
the fire; this left me with only five. All went well, and 
no more met with unhappy endings. 
Karly in March I placed them during the day out of 
doors in a roomy cage under a glass- -roofed house with 
open sides and gave ‘them a pot of growing nettles; no 
sign of pairings took place, but in early May a fair quantity 
of ova were deposited; these, however, proved to be 
infertile, and, on examining the specimens, I found all 
were (9, the only ff having been the victims of the 
winter; this greatly disappointed me. 
The last specimen lived till the end of May. 
I think these observations clear up a poimt which has 
long been in doubt, and prove that V. atalanta is not a true 
hybernator, and requires food all the winter, and that very 
seldom, if ever, they pass the winter as imagines in England; 
we are therefore entirely dependent on immigration every 
year for this beautiful, though common, butterfly. 1910 
has been a very bad “ Atalanta” year. I have seen, person- 
ally, only two specimens on the wing, and found one larva, 
and have heard of very few larvae or imagines being seen 
in England this year. 
I had six pupae sent to me from Devonshire; these I 
bred out, and have the imagines alive. Mr. T. Reuss has 
sent me eight living specimens, two of which met with an 
accident a few days after arrival, so this winter I have 
twelve specimens, and with these few I hope to be able to 
clear up a further point next year, and that is to find out 
whether the species pairs in the spring. I have noticed no 
sign of autumnal pairings. 
