826 The Zoologist — August, 1866, 



cells, which at this period are not surrounded by any mennbrane; the cells increase in 

 number so as to cover the whole egg ; after awhile an opening commences at the 

 posterior end, and from it some of the contents protrude like a hernia; a delicate 

 membrane is then visible inside the blastodermic cells ; the hernial portion forms a 

 connexion with the epithelial cells, and, when this is done, the vitelline vesicle 

 contracts inside the blastoderm and divides into two secondary vesicles, of which the 

 posterior one adheres to the epithelium, while the other remains free ; these vesicles or 

 cellules are the embryos of the sexual elements ; each covers itself on the surface 

 with a generation of small cellules which grow and continue to develope others ; the 

 posterior proup is male, the anterior (the free one) is female; the latter remain 

 colourless and are smaller than the male cellules, which become green or yellow (ihis 

 is the pseudo-vitellus of Huxley) ; the mother vesicle soon disappears, while the male 

 one increases and constitutes a reservoir of fecundating corpuscles ; up to this lime the 

 embryonal development has not commenced, but from this point it proceeds regularly 

 until the birth of the young Aphis. 



Prof. Westwood was reminded, by the mention of Aphides, of a circumstance 

 which had recently puzzled him. He had at Oxford some rose-trees which did not 

 grow in the spring, but bad only lately thrown out shoots; no sooner did a shoot 

 appear, no malter how minute, than a fine fat Aphis was found upon it, and though 

 the trees were carefully cleaned daily, yet morning after morning a fresh Aphis was on 

 each bud. The Aphides were all apterous; they could scarcely have been blown 

 upon the plants by the wind, since they occurred so constantly, and always on the 

 youngest buds; the roses were planted away from any overhanging trees or shrubs; 

 and he did not think the insects were hatched on the buds, since this would under 

 the circiimstiinces have required a retardation of the development of the eggs in order 

 to keep time with the retarded development of the buds; he could only conclude that 

 each night they had crawled up fron) the ground, but it was curious that they should 

 be found exclusively on the smallest last-developed shoots. 



Mr. Edwiird Shejipard bad noticed (he same thing on the young buds of jasmine, 

 as if the Aphides had been born on and with the buds. 



The Rev. Douglas C. Timins communicated the following notes on the larvae of 

 Charaxes Jasius and Melitaea Provencialis: — 



" It may interest some entomologists to know that T have succeeded in rearing the 

 larvae of the splendid Cliaraxes Jasius in England. In January of this year I obtained 

 some young larvte at Hyercs. They grow very slowly, and in April were not nearly 

 full fed. I brought them to England, and carefully fed them wiih Arbutus Unedo, 

 placing their cage in the sun (they only feed in sun-lighl, as far as I have observed), 

 and about the loth of May some of them assumed the pupa stale. Ou the 5th of 

 June two specimens emerged; one, however, had the wings crippled. I have also 

 bred Hesperia Altheee and Melitaea Provencialis. The larva of ihe latter has not been 

 described; its length when full fed is about an inch and a half; head black; body 

 black, velvety, the back powdered with white dots; a stripe of white dots along each 

 side; numerous jet-black spines on each segment; fore legs reddish brown, hind legs 

 red ; in societies, on Lonicera Balearica. The pupa is remarkably handsome, being 

 white, wilh golden yellow rings chequered with black on each abdominal segment, 

 and having the wing-cases marked with golden yellow and black ; it is of course 



