THE ENTOMOLOGIST 



Vol. XXXIV.j DECEMBEE, 1901. [No. 463. 



LIFE-HISTORY OF HESPEPJA COMMA. 

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



As I believe that this species has hitherto never been success- 

 tully reared from the egg, the following life-history may be of 

 some interest to those who may have a desire to rear this 

 interestmg butterfly. On August 17th, 1900, I found a few 

 Hespena comma on the wing over a small patch of chalky ground 

 covered with a short dense growth of various grasses (but the 

 fane han--grass predominating), rock-rose, thyme, &c., and soon 

 detected one (a female) hovering close over the plants, so by 

 carefully watching it I saw her settle on a tuft of hair-grass 

 {Aira ccespitosa), and after walking over and among it a httle 

 time, she curved her abdomen down and deposited a sin^^le e^cr 

 on one of the fine hair-like blades, or rather spines, and dole 

 by, within an inch, I found another egg, similarly laid, which, 

 h-om its darker colouring, I should suppose had been deposited 

 about three or four days previously. After securing these two 

 eggs, I dug up the plant of grass as well as other similar plants 

 tor potting, and then captured a few females, which I subse- 

 quently placed on the plants, and on August 20th they deposited 

 a large number of eggs upon the grass-stems and blades. 

 _ The egg is very large in proportion to the butterfly, measur- 

 ing 2 g m. in diameter at the base ; in shape it exactly resembles 

 an inverted pudding-basin, having a sunken crown, rounded 

 sides, and a well-developed basal rim ; the base is quite flat ; the 

 surface is finely granulated, forming reticulations near the base 

 which run into ridges to the rim ; when first laid the colour is 

 pearl-white with the slightest yellowish-green tinge, which very 

 gradually turns deeper in colour, assuming a pale straw-yellow 

 on the sixth day, and when a fortnight old it is a clear pale 

 apricot yellow, which colour it remains until the middle of 

 January, when a slight change begins to take place by the 



ENTOM.— DECEMBER, 1901. O ,, 



