THE ENTOMOLOGIST 



Vol. XXXV.l DECEMBER. 1902. [No. 475. 



LIFE-HISTORY OF VANESSA ANTIOPA. 

 By F. W. Frohawk, M.B.O.U., F.E.S. 



I AM deeply indebted to Mr. Frederic Eaine for his kindness 

 in procuring for me living examples of V. antiopa, which has 

 enabled me to work out the life-history of this interesting species. 

 On the 7th of April last I received from this gentleman eight 

 females and three males, alive, which he captured at Hyeres on 

 the 5th ; again, on the 7th, he caught two males and one female, 

 and these he also sent me, arriving on thej 9th. Five females 

 of the first consignment I placed on two growing plants of willow, 

 the same morning they reached me, but owing to the continuance 

 of cold dull weather they remained quiet until the 13th, and on 

 the 14th, with bright sunshine at midday, I had the pleasure of 

 watching one of the females deposit a number of eggs, and made 

 a sketch of her in the act. She clung to a small stem, and de- 

 posited 192 eggs in one batch, which encircled the stem ; while 

 depositing the end of the abdomen curves from side to side of the 

 branch ; the ovipositor, feeling for the last egg laid, carefully 

 places another beside it, in circles round the stem, working 

 upwards, until the batch is completed. On this day another 

 batch was deposited by another female, and others on the 

 following days ; so that by the 25th eight batches were laid. 

 These five females continued depositing at intervals for several 

 weeks, and the last eggs were laid in small batches on 

 June 27th. 



On May 21st four batches were laid, consisting of about 450 

 eggs, the smallest batch containing 53, and the largest about 160. 

 On May 27th another lot of eggs deposited in four batches, the 

 smallest batch of 3 doz. and the largest 170 — in all 336. All five 

 females still alive on May 25th. The first one died on the 26th ; 

 the other four were quite lively, and had a big drink each after 



ENTOM. — DECEMBER, 1902. 2 B 



