308 Dr. T. A. Chapman on 



four minutes the wings are several times slightly separated 

 and again closed almost immediately, and for the following 

 five minutes the wings remain open for slightly longer 

 periods, and when open assume more of the attitude that 

 is taken at about 20 to 25 minutes after emergence, the 

 wings hanging down in nearly the normal resting attitude, 

 but separated from each other by spaces that make the 

 apices of the fore-wings nearly f of an inch apart and 

 those of the hind- wings less than half this. This atti- 

 tude is maintained for some 20 minutes, when the normal 

 resting attitude is permanently assumed. 



Vanessa urticae. — 9.21 a.m., emerged; 9.26, expanded, 

 but not quite straightened; 9.27, not quite straight, but 

 closed; 9.29, straight, still closed; 9.30, opened; 9.31, 

 closed; 9.32, open; 9.33, closed; 9.33|, opened, with a 

 rotating movement; 9.34, closed; 9.35, open; 9.36|, 

 closed; 9.38, open; 9.38|, closed, then opened. Re- 

 mained more or less open; at 9.45 the lower wings were 

 rather separate, i. e. none of the wings were touching 

 each other; 10.10, have been gradually closing, and are 

 now much less open, but still rather open. Thereafter 

 gradually closed to natural resting position. 



Another specimen emerged, 9.25; 9.31, wings expanded 

 and closed; 9.33, open; 9.35, closed for a few seconds; 

 9.38, closed ; 9.45, opened ; 9.46, closed and then opened, 

 all wings separate; remained so for some time, but at 

 10.10 are less open; 10.12, closed at tips; 10.15, closed 

 to middle of costa; 10.45, closed for two-thirds of costa, 

 which is very near the closure of normal resting attitude. 



In T. quercus, as soon as the wings are expanded, which 

 takes place very rapidly, they are closed over the back 

 into the ordinary resting attitude, and remain so for 

 several minutes ; they then separate so that only the tips 

 of the fore- wings touch, and remain so for about 40 seconds ; 

 then they close again so that the costae of all four wings are 

 close together, except about a fourth of their length at the 

 base, and remain so for about 20 seconds. This change of 

 attitude — separate 40 seconds, closed for 20 seconds, 

 varying very little from an exact minute for the two 

 phases — continues for about 16 or 17 minutes, then it is 

 observed that when separate they have not been touching 

 at the tips for a few times, and now they are all quite 

 separate at about equal distances apart, rather wider apart 

 at hind margins than the width of insect's thorax; the 



