NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 283 



Front and vertex aciculated, the rest of the head smooth and 

 shining. Mesonotum irregularly longitudinally rugosely punctured. 

 Scutellar depression w^ide, the middle more finely rugosely punc- 

 tured than the mesonotum itself, the sides with stout, clearly sepa- 

 rated striae. Scutellum large, broadly rounded, rugosely punctured, 

 the basal slope irregularly longitudinally striated. Metanotum closely, 

 irregularly reticulated. Propleuras, except at the base, irregularly 

 longitudinally striated. Middle of mesopleurge reticulated, the upper 

 basal part closely longitudinally striated, this striated part being 

 raised and light blue. Hind coxae blue, and finely, closely striated. 

 Abdominal petiole about one-quarter longer than the rest of the 

 abdomen. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Abraxas grossulariata ab. lacticolor in Warwickshire. — As 

 the distribution of varieties in this county seems very little worked, 

 it might be well to record that on July 23rd a specimen of A. grossu- 

 lariata ab. lacticolor emerged in my breeding-cage. The specimen, 

 which was unfortunately a cripple in one wing, differed from the 

 example figured in " South " in having the black markings on the 

 costa and fringe slightly less obsolete. The insect was bred from a 

 larva found at Rugby, fed on hawthorn. — P. W. Whitley; Brant- 

 wood, Halifax. 



EUPITHBCIA TOGATA GOING OVER TWO SEASONS IN PuPAL StAGE. — 



I had a similar experience to that of Professor Meldola (antea, p. 182) 

 with pupae of E. togata, obtained, I expect, from the same source. Out 

 of twelve pupa3, five emerged last year, and six in the early part of 

 June, 1909. They were exceptionally fine specimens. I had con- 

 cluded that the pupa? were dried up, as they were exposed to strong 

 sunlight, whenever this somewhat rare phenomenon took place. — 

 G. Bertram Kershays ; West Wickham, Kent, July 27th, 1909. 



Spanish Chestnut as a Food-plant op Thecla quercus. — On 

 May 31st (Whit Monday) of the present year I found a larva of 

 T. quercus on a stub of Spanish chestnut. The larva was about 

 three-parts grown and fed up well, in due course turning into a 

 pupa, whence emerged a fine female butterfly on July 21st. I have 

 never heard of this tree as a food-plant of T. quercus ; in fact, in my 

 experience, very few larvae seem to take a fancy to it. — Geoffrey 

 Meade- Waldo ; 17, Douglas Mansions, Cromwell Road, S.W. 



Rearing Chrysophanus rutilus in England. — With reference 

 to the note on Chrysophanus dispar in the ' Entomologist ' for July, 

 the following experiment, conducted by Mr. Newnham (since dead, I 

 believe) at Church Stretton, may be of interest. Mr. Newnham 

 procured a large frame, and in this he grew the food-plant of 

 C. clispar. He then placed within the frame some larvae of G. rutilus ; 

 the imagines resulting were allowed to breed in a moist atmosphere. 

 At the end of two or three years, a form much nearer dispar than 



KNTO.M. SEPTEMBER, 1909. U 



