132 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the large yellow spots upon the costa are represented by a minute 

 dull yellow spot near the apex ; the fringes are dull orange, tinged 

 with pink, instead of the clear yellow of typical specimens. I propose 

 unipunctalis as a varietal name for this striking form. It is a very 

 common species here, and I have often seen it swarming at sugar on 

 old pollard willow trees. — Geevase F. Mathew ; Lee House, Dover- 

 court, Essex, February 24th, 1914. 



Some Varieties of Gonodontis bidentata. — In the early 

 summer of 1911 Commander Gwatkin-Wilhams, E.N., sent me some 

 ova of bidentata from County Cork, and I placed them in a large 

 sleeve over the branch of an ash tree in my garden. In due course 

 the larvae hatched, fed up, and pupated. The following spring a 

 number of moths emerged ; these were a very varied lot, hardly one 

 of them being typical, and there were some very beautiful forms 

 among them, the following being the most conspicuous : — (1) A pale 

 straw colour, something the shade of Crocalis elinguaria, with very 

 faint transverse lines, the discoidal spots very small, and all the wings 

 sparsely dusted with very minute brownish atoms. A very beautiful 

 variety. (2) Somewhat similar to the above but slightly darker — 

 biscuit colour would perhaps best describe it ; the transverse lines 

 and discoidal spots more distinct, and the irrorations more pro- 

 nounced. (3) This is much the same colour, but of a slightly richer 

 tone, and with the transverse lines and discal spots very distinct. 

 (4) Pale ochreous, transverse hues and discal spots rather faint ; 

 irrorations very distinct, and grouped in patches towards the outer 

 margin of fore wings. (5) Golden-brown, transverse lines rather 

 distinct, and in one or two specimens outwardly edged with white ; 

 irrorations obsolete. (6) Warm brown, transverse lines somewhat 

 faint, the outer one dotted with white spots ; irrorations indistinct. — 

 Geevase F. Mathew ; March 9th, 1914. 



BUTTEEFLY COLLECTING IN SiCILY AND CaLABEIA IN 1912 AND 



1913. — It is a truism that the weather often makes or mars the 

 success of an excursion in search of butterflies, and my recollections 

 of a visit to Sicily in 1912, where I spent the month of April, chiefly 

 comprise high winds, dust, and torrents of rain. Contrary to my 

 usual experience I left England bathed in sunshine, and on the 

 railway banks between Modane and Turin I saw several specimens 

 of Euchloii eupJienoides flying about gently (March 29th), and during 

 a compulsory stop of six hours at Kome I watched females of Pieris 

 rapce, depositing their eggs on the herbage in the grounds of the 

 Villa Borghese (March 30tli), but south of Naples clouds hid the 

 sun, and in Sicily (March 31st) rain and wind held sway. My 

 record of the weather for the month of April is nine wet days, nine 

 showery or dull days, six bright sunny days, and six days with 

 occasional sunshine. To be detained indoors by rain or wind was 

 very provoking, at a time too when the newpapers brought news of 

 sunshine in England. On April 5th I took train via Catania to 

 Eandazzo at the back of Mount Etna for the week-end, but my visit 

 was a failure, as clouds hid the summit of the volcano. On former 

 visits I have found a great scarcity of larvce, the plants showing no 

 signs of having been eaten, but this season the patches of nettles 



