326 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



very common in the summer. Full-grown larvae were found here as 

 late as September 27th, producing butterflies (in captivity) at the end 

 of October until November 6th, all undersized specimens. — 1913. Not 

 very common at any part of the season in my experience. 



V. io. — 1912. A few hybernated specimens (the species is never 

 abundant up here) from April 18th, on which date a specimen was 

 seen feeding at sloe-blossom. Near Boscastle, at the end of June, 

 the larvae of this species and of other Vanessids were remarkably 

 plentiful, and on one large nettle patch near Camelford, on July 1st, 

 larvae of V. Io, V. urticce, Pyrameis cardui, and P. atalanta were all 

 found feeding together. I do not record a single specimen of the 

 fresh emergence here for 1912. — 1913. I have not seen this species 

 at all here this year. Larvae were full-fed near Salcombe on July 1st, 

 one imago seen near Dorking, August 30. 



Pyrameis cardui. — 1912. This was the butterfly of the season in 

 my own experience, the early migrants especially appearing in very 

 unusual numbers. The condition of these specimens varied largely, 

 from (apparently) freshly emerged ones to such tattered, bleached 

 survivals as, but for their flight, would have been hardly re- 

 cognizable. The first was seen here on May 14th, feeding at the 

 blossoms of the white beam ; and from this date till near the end of 

 June (when I left home for a fortnight) they were everywhere — 

 throughout the woodland, by roadsides, in gardens, &c. Bugle 

 flowers were often an attraction, but more commonly they preferred 

 settling on bare ground exposed to the sun. Ova were laid readily 

 on field thistle in captivity on May 19th, but after reaching a half- 

 grown condition the subsequent larvae (which hatched in eleven days) 

 mostly died off from no apparent cause, as did many others that 

 were captured at large. This high mortality, which is quite con- 

 trary to my experience of the species, was a feature of the season, 

 Mr. Newman tells me, in regard to this and other larvae, and was 

 apparently due to climatic conditions. The butterflies were still in 

 abundance near Boscastle in early July (still in " hybernated " con- 

 dition mostly), where larvae were also found on thistle and nettle ; 

 and larvae were common hereabouts at the sides of cornfields, &c, 

 during the remainder of July. On July 16th I had the supreme good 

 fortune to find a pupa near Sevenoaks spun up in thistle, which the 

 very next morning produced a superb aberration of the butterfly, 

 closely resembling that figured in Newman's ' Butterflies ' (p. 64). The 

 first freshly emerged specimen was seen on July 24th, and through- 

 out the following month, whenever the wretched weather permitted 

 their appearance, specimens were to be seen, but in nothing like the 

 abundance that the profusion of their progenitors would have led one 

 to expect. — 1913. Only one " early " specimen was seen here, a very 

 fresh one, on May 30th, but specimens were not rare near Salcombe 

 early in July. I only record one newly-emerged one here, on 

 August 28th, and one larva, on July 18th, which soon died. 



P. atalanta. — 1912. After cardui this species was most note- 

 worthy hereabouts. First seen, May 12th, at holly blossom, and 

 common during the remainder of the month. At the end of June 

 and early July specimens of variable freshness were frequent near 

 Boscastle. I witnessed the laying of an egg on July 4th, hatched 



