NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 321 



which is very plentiful on the French coast, has turned up at New- 

 haven, Folkestone, Dover, Margate, and Harwich, where there are fast 

 steamer services running. The vessels load alongside a pier or wharf, 

 where there are bright electric lights or incandescent lamps, aud what 

 is to stop an impregnated female flying on board, and getting carried 

 over ? This, I think, also applies to FMnomos autunmaiia on the south- 

 east coast, and Callimorpha hera in Devon. P. chrysorrluca is now 

 rapidly spreading over the South of England, through the medium of 

 the hawthorn hedges on the railway banks, and has been taken as 

 near London as Bromley. — C. W. Colthrup ; 127, Barry Eoad, East 

 Dulwich, S.E. 



Hawk Moth Pupating on Trees. — Referring to Mr. F. P. Dodd's 

 note relative to the above {ante, p. 73). I am able to give the name of 

 one sphingid that does the same here ; this is Xephele variegata. In 

 almost every instance the larva spins up in the leaves and between the 

 small branches of the fig-tree. The cocoon, too, is very thick for this 

 species of moth. Out here it is undoubtedly done for protective pur- 

 poses, as on the few occasions when I have found a few where the 

 ground and an exposed root of the tree has been used for pupation, 

 the pupaB have nearly always been eaten by ants. The ants seem to 

 commence the attack directly the change takes place, and when the 

 pupa-case is soft, as I have ascertained by experiment that they will 

 not attack a perfectly dry pupa of this moth. The pupa is very active 

 indeed, aud when it is touched rolls itself completely round and round, 

 and then gives a series of jerks for some time afterwards. It is very 

 common here, and I have found as many as seventeen on one tree, 

 but they were very badly ichneumoned. I have also found pupse of 

 N . varieyata in holes of trunks of the trees, and, when so placed, the 

 larvse had carefully spun a thick web over the opening. This moth 

 always emerges from the pupa between 10 and 12 p.m., and flies at 

 dawn, feeds at the flowers of honeysuckle, and is the swiftest flier I 

 know of for its size. — G. F. Leigh ; Durban, Natal. 



Lyc^na corydon, ab. — In the note on this aberration (ante,-^. 284), 

 the sex symbol was accidentally omitted. The specimen is a female. 



Vanessa urtic^, ab. — Early in September this year I obtained a 

 well-marked variety of this butterfly, differing from the ordinary type 

 in the following particulars : — It is somewhat small in size; the two 

 outer blotches on the costal margin of the fore wing are confluent ; 

 the two black spots near the anal angle are absent ; the hind wings 

 are entirely black, and there is no trace of blue on the wings whatever. 

 In fact, it seems to correspond to the third variety figured in New- 

 man's ' British Butterflies.' — B. L. Middleton ; Mullingar, Ireland, 

 Oct. 27th, 1902. 



[Somewhat similar aberrations of F. ruticce, are figured in the 

 ' Entomologist ' for 1896, p. 73, and 1900, pi. iii. fig. 1 ; see also 

 Entom. xxxiii. p. 103. — Ed.] 



Chrysophanus dispar, Haw. — Will lepidopterists who possess speci- 

 mens of this species kindly communicate with J. R. Charnley, F.E.S., 

 Howick House, Preston, Lanes., who states that he is endeavouring 

 to find out how many specimens of British C. dispar there are in 

 existence. 



