97 



a tiny leaf. I was determined to know the plant again, and 

 so marked it by dropping my tobacco-pouch upon it, and on 

 returning to it later had no difficulty in finding the egg in 

 exactly the position where I had suspected it had been 

 deposited. Again she flitted on, this time only a yard or 

 two, when she found another little plant of Hippocrcpis, 

 growing on an almost perpendicular part of the bank, and 

 rested upon it. So intent was she upon her business that 

 I was able to take up a position within some eighteen inches 

 of her without in the least disturbing her, and to put on 

 some fairly powerful spectacles. I then saw her protrude 

 her abdomen to its fullest extent, curve it slightly under one 

 of the leaflets near the centre of the plant, and the terminal 

 segments of her body work violently as the egg was extruded. 

 She then flew on, and I plucked the plant, when I found two 

 eggs side by side, but separated from each other, on the 

 underside of the leaf, one of which must have been laid 

 directly she settled on the plant and while I was getting into 

 position for observation. It is, perhaps, needless to add 

 that while I was making sure of the egg I lost sight of 

 the butterfly. One other circumstance I should, perhaps, 

 mention, although it may have been a mere accident : on 

 examining the plant on which these last two eggs were laid 

 I found a couple of small, brown ants running about, waving 

 their antennas, apparently in a state of great excitement, and 

 it was with some difficulty that I drove them off ; but 

 whether the excitement was caused by the visit of the 

 butterfly or by my plucking the plant I have no means of 

 telling." 



Mr. R. Adkin also exhibited living larvae and pupas of 

 Celastrina (Cyaniris) argioliis, recently collected from flower- 

 buds of ivy at Eastbourne, and called attention to the change 

 of colour of the larva from green to deep pink that takes 

 place shortly before fixing itself up for pupation (see " Pro- 

 ceedings," 1896, pp. 110-116, for further notes on life-history). 

 In addition he showed living larvai, pupae, and cocoons of 

 Nola albnlalis, reared from ova obtained in East Sussex. 



Mr. Tonge exhibited stereographs of the ova of Agriades 

 thetis (bellargjis) shown by Mr. Adkin. 



Mr. West (Greenwich) exhibited four species of Apion 

 recently collected at Deal — A. curtisi, A. Icevicolle, A. urti- 

 carium, and A. pomonce. 



Mr. Joy exhibited bred specimens of Dryas paphia var. 

 valezina, and stated that of 77 bred this year from ova 

 obtained from a New Forest female (male unknown), 41 



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