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THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The Eaynor Grossulariata, and the Turner Collection. — On 

 Tuesday, October 25th, just over two hundred specimens, all more or 

 less remarkable varieties of Abraxas grossulariata reared by the Rev. 

 Gilbert H. Eaynor, were offered at auction at Stevens's Rooms. 

 It was not the first time that such varieties of the species had been 

 disposed of. It will be remembered that some three years ago 

 (October 22nd, 1907, Entom. xl. p. 294) Mr. Raynor sold his col- 

 lection of British Lepidoptera, and included with it were a number 

 of aberrations of A. grossulariata that he had accumulated during liis 

 pedigree breeding experiments with this species. The more direct 

 results of the said experiments were, we believe, presented with 

 their data to the Cambridge University Museum. Since that time 

 Mr. Raynor appears to have devoted a large measure of his energies 

 to rearing this species with a view to obtaining varieties, and those 

 offered on October 25th included the more abnormal forms. Among 

 them were some truly remarkable specimens, but it is doubtful, 

 having regard to the very scanty data with which each of the two 

 hundred and odd lots into which they were divided was accompanied, 

 whether they were of any great scientific value. " Lanes, ex No. 4. 

 08. Bred 22. vi. 09. Raynor," for example, may be all very well in its 

 way, but it conveys no intelligible meaning to one's mind. Indeed, 

 one would suppose that, to fully appreciate their bearing upon any 

 particular lines of variation that . the species might be taking, it 

 would be necessary to have the whole of the specimens comprised 

 in the various generations leading up to these extreme forms before 

 one ; but as they stood, lot by lot, they conveyed little information 

 beyond the fact that in certain conditions of interbreeding, which 

 were not disclosed, forms dissimilar to any found under natural 

 conditions might be produced. No doubt Mr. Raynor has this in- 

 formation, and it is to be hoped that some day he may see his way to 

 publish it in such a form that the meaning of these remarkable 

 aberrations may be apparent. This present lack of detail did not, 

 however, prevent very high prices being obtained. A large, almost 

 unicolorous, pale bufi', example with black markings along the costa, 

 catalogued as " Wonderful female, combining nigricostata with 

 lacteasjxcrsata," brought £11, wdiich is, we believe, a record for any 

 variety of this species ; and a somewhat similar but slightly smaller 

 specimen £7 10s. Three typical pairs of ab. lacticolor sold at 15s., 

 14s., and 14s. per pair, respectively, while various modifications of 

 this form sold separately brought from 5s. to 37s. 6d. each, the latter 

 price being for an " extreme var., with all markings on fore wings 

 much suffused." Ab. chrysostrota vmed between 8s. and 30s. apiece, 

 and ab. iochalca between 7s. and 52s. 6d., the more typical specimens 

 apparently being the least sought after. Two female gloriosa sold 

 for 45s. and 42s. each, and one described as " Magnificent, with 

 thi-ee-fourths of fore wings solid black and chocolate intermixed," 

 ran up to six guineas, while several ab. nigricostata brought from 35s. 

 to 70s. apiece, and sundry centralipunctata and its modifications 

 realized from 14s. to 30s. per specimen. Three pairs of ab. alhi- 

 palliata sold at 17s. to 22s. per pair, ah. flavipalliata at lis. to 30s. 

 each, while a couple of fine richly-coloured examples brought 60s. 

 and 55s., respectively, and "an extraordinary iridescent female " 65s., 



