180 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



short acquaintance, and with no previous courtship, and seems specially 

 interesting in view of Prof. Meldola's experiences recorded ante, p. 128. 

 E. M. Prideaux; Reigate, Surrey, April 23rd, 1901. 



The Buff Variety of Amphidasys betularia. — I have lately been 

 looking over some of the back volumes of the ' Entomologist,' and was 

 much interested in the notes on pages 113 and 162 of vol. xxii. (1889), 

 on the subject of the buff variety of Amphidasys betularia, which was 

 bred in the Middleton district in the seventies, inasmuch as I have a 

 specimen of this variety in my collection. This insect came to me 

 through a dealer, who informed me that it was from the Manchester 

 district, bred about 1878, and I think, after reading Mr. Thorpe's 

 remarks (Entom. xxii. 168), that it is most probably one of those 

 specimens formerly belonging to Jonathan Fielding, which Mr. Thorpe 

 says he (Fielding) exchanged with a London dealer for foreign butter- 

 flies for " picture making." " Manchester district" would, I take it, 

 include Middleton. As this form seems to have disappeared entirely 

 for the last twenty years, it would seem desirable to place on record 

 the existence of any specimens which remain. — H. Ainslie Hill ; 

 9, Addison Mansions, Kensington W., May 15th, 1901. 



[I have a pair of this curious variety of A. betularia. They were 

 formerly in Mr. Carrington's collection, and he, I believe, obtained 

 them from a London dealer. — R. S.] 



CAPTURES AND FIELD REPORTS. 



Note on Vanessa polychloros. — Ou one of the last days of April this 

 year I saw two specimens of Vanessa jwlychloros ou Waltou Heath, and two 

 others near Betchworth ; several others may or may not have been these 

 over agaiu. It is many years since I last saw this butterfly alive in 

 England. — T. A. Chapman : Betula, Reigate, May, 1901. 



Note on Vanessa polychloros, &c. — Hybernated specimens of this 

 butterfly seem unusually plentiful this year in our neighbourhood. I have 

 observed it ou the following dates : April 1st, 7tb, 8th, 19th, and May 1st. 

 On April 19th I worked for it, and came upon a regular swarm at the side 

 of a copse near Holmbury St. Mary, and took as mauy as I wanted for ova. 

 V. urticm is plentiful, but not so plentiful as V. polychloros ; and I have 

 seen two specimens of V. to. Lycana argiolus is out in some numbers 

 on Holmwood Common. — F. A. Oldaker; Parsonage House, Dorking, 

 May 1st, 1901. 



NoTiDOBiA ciLiARis. — Ou May 5th this caddis-fly was out in good num- 

 bers ou the herbage along the bank of the canal near Byfleet. Having but 

 recently emerged, the wings had not lost their full black colour, and I 

 noticed that several females were carrying a yellow mass of eggs attached to 

 the apex of the abdomen (vide E. M. M. vol. i. p. 216, 1865). — W. J. Lucas ; 

 28, Knight's Park, Kingston-on-Thames. 



Early Date for Anax imperator. — Rev. F. A. Walker, D.D., reports 

 the capture of a female of this magnificent dragonfly on May 11th at West 

 Heath, Hampstead. The earliest date previously noticed was of a speci* 



