28 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



mountains in quest of alpine species, until, reaching the confines 

 of the snow limit, I sat down to eat my sandwich. I had 

 disturbed a butterfly, which looked like Melitcea artemis, but, 

 being rather fagged with the steep ascent, I watched it settle on 

 a snow patch close by without giving chase. The sun then 

 becoming suddenly overcast the insect remained like a spot on 

 the snow, until, my lunch ended, I approached, and found it 

 benumbed and almost lifeless. It was a female M. cynthia, which 

 differs remarkably from the white-banded male, and approximates 

 closely to M. artemis in size and colour, the latter insect, as I 

 might have remembered, not occurring at that height, except in 

 the degenerate form of var. merope. I killed the specimen by 

 leaving it a little while built up in snow. Frequently also I have 

 noticed Rhopaloeera dead on snow patches, doubtless from the 

 same cause. 



In fine I am disposed to think, though storms and unseason- 

 able frosts are very potent causes of scarity, yet that when we 

 have another cycle of warm summers, no matter what the 

 winters are like, we shall once more rejoice in plentiful ento- 

 mological harvests. Mr. Dale's motto I heartily adopt, " Floreat 

 Entomologia." 



Sloperton Lodge, Kingstown, Co. Dublin, Jan. 8, 1884. 



NOTES ON EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA REARED IN 1883. 



By Alfred Wailly. 

 (Membre-Laureat de la Societe Nationale d'Acclimatation de France.) 



From the 1st to the 16th of January two Atlas, three Selene 

 and one hybrid Roylei-pernyi moths emerged from cocoons 

 kept, like all the others, in a room without any artificial heat, 

 after which time no moths of any exotic species emerged 

 till May. 



Of North-American Bombyces I had an immense quantity of 

 Cecropia, Polyphemus and Promethea cocoons, from the moths of 

 which I obtained thousands of fertile ova. The larvee of Cecropia 

 and Promethea were placed on trees in my garden without any 

 protection (which, in fact, could not be given them), the conse- 

 quence being that they were in course of time destroyed by their 



