ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, 
May 6th, 1903. 
Professor Poutton showed a specimen of Polygonia (Grapta) 
C-album in the attitude of prolonged repose, together with 
specimens of Anxa moeris set in different ways to illustrate 
its probable resting position. Upon these specimens he read 
the following notes :— 
“Many years ago I came to a conclusion as to the 
probable meaning of the ‘C’ or ‘comma’ on the under 
surface of the hind-wings in butterflies belonging to the genus 
Polygonia (Grapta). I believe that it represents, in bright, 
strongly-reflecting ‘body-colour, the light shining through 
a semi-circular rent in a fragment of dead leaf,—the rent pro- 
duced when a little segment of leaf has broken away along 
a curved line, but still remains connected with the rest 
across the chord of the arc. Unless such a segment remains 
precisely in the plane of the leaf, light may pass through 
a curved and often a semi-circular slit-like window. Such 
curved cracks are extremely common in old weather-beaten 
dead leaves. They are probably produced by drying and 
shrinkage after much wetting and some decay. 
“On April 25rd last I had the opportunity of testing how far 
the whole attitude of Polygonia C-album, during profound re- 
pose, is consistent with the interpretation suggested above. By 
a curious coincidence I had been speaking of the differences 
between temporary and prolonged resting attitudes in butter- 
flies, at the meeting of the Entomological Society of France 
on the evening of April 22nd, and the very next morning saw 
for the first time in my life the position of this species during 
complete repose. The day was excessively cold for this time 
of the year, and the butterfly was hanging perfectly torpid 
from the horizontal rail of a wood fence in a street at Passy. 
Several excellent but very small photographs were taken with 
my daughter’s camera: enlargements have been made, and 
from these the actual specimen has been set and photographs 
