178 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the beginning of October. In December I examined the two 

 plants upon which they hybernated, and found all those upon 

 the living plant of dock (with plenty of green leaves) were dead, 

 while a large number of those upon the plant that had died down 

 with only brown shrivelled leaves were alive and apparently 

 healthy, hybernating in the folds of the damp dead leaves. 

 Before hybernating the larva gradually changes to a more or 

 less lilac hue, which chiefly forms broad medio-dorsal, subdorsal, 

 and lateral longitudinal bands, which are separated by more or 

 less greenish stripes. 



This remarkable change of colour from pure green (a colour- 

 ing retained unchanged throughout its existence in summer) is 

 an instance of wonderful adaptation of protective colouring 

 assumed entirely to harmonise with its surroundings while 

 hybernating ; the dull lilac and greenish produce a most pro- 

 tective combination of colour, and render the larva very incon- 

 spicuous on the dead leaves. After hybernation and before the 

 second moult they gradually lose the lilac colouring, and assume 

 the normal green. 



On February 27th, 1907, I examined the plant, and noticed 

 several alive ; some were crawling actively about, and a few were 

 on the under side of the young freshly grown leaves, while others 

 were still hybernating in the folds of the dead leaves. 



Among the large number of specimens bred during last sum- 

 mer great variation exists on the upper side of the females ; 

 some have the coppery orange colouring suffused over the 

 secondaries, with only faint dusky linear markings between the 

 nervures, these wings appearing unicolorous with the primaries, 

 and the latter with small dusky spots ; others have secondaries 

 of a uniform brownish black to the marginal coppery band, and 

 with large spots on the primaries. Every gradation occurs 

 between these two forms in the series bred, including the inter- 

 esting gynandrous specimen figured on p. 145, which appears a 

 very complete example of gynandromorphism, even as far as 

 the antennae and genitalia ; also the partial coloration of the 

 abdomen. 



Upon microscopical examination I find the pupa of var. 

 rutilus identical in structure in every detail to that of dispar, 

 excepting the specimen measured of the latter is a trifle larger, 

 measuring t 9 q in. in length. From the descriptions published 

 (which are vague) of the larvae of dispar, they agree with that 

 of rutilus. Although I believe many entomologists still con- 

 sider dispar a distinct species, there is not the slightest doubt 

 that the latter is merely an isolated localized form, due to 

 climatic conditions. 



