95 



melanic male x type female (two broods) ; (2) melanic female 

 x type male (two broods). 1908 : from (1) only one melanic 

 female bred, and from (2) none; have now paired the melanic 

 female and type male of No. (1), and male and female type 

 forms of No. (2), the results of which are awaited. 



Mr. Robert Adkin exhibited captured and bred series of 

 Aspilates ochrearia {citraria), and gave the following account 

 of their history : 



" On the 7th and 8th September, 1907, I captured at 

 Eastbourne a couple of females of this species, which de- 

 posited ova on the 8th and gth ; these hatched on 20th and 

 following days, and the larvae were supplied with wild carrot 

 and birdsfoot trefoil, and later on with dock and plantains 

 also, all of which they ate readily, and continued to feed 

 throughout the winter, except when the weather was frosty. 

 Between 17th and 24th May, 1908, the first of them pupated 

 in cocoons among rubbish on the surface of the ground, and 

 the majority of them had spun up in this way before the end 

 of the month. Some few, however, probably about 20 per 

 cent, of the brood, although apparently full-fed, showed no 

 inclination to pupate, and eventually they one by one died 

 off, the last on July 2nd. From the May pupae some half 

 dozen moths emerged between June 15th and 26th, but the 

 remainder, although kept until late autumn, failed to pro- 

 duce imagines, and were ultimately found to have died as 

 pupae. 



" Among the moths reared in June, there was only one 

 female, which fortunately emerged on the same da)' as a 

 male ; pairing took place readily, and ova were deposited 

 during the night. In due course these hatched, but my 

 supply of wild carrot had given out, and the young larvae 

 showed no inclination to eat dock, plantain, etc., as the 

 winter larvae had done, but took to garden carrot with 

 avidity, and on this were fed up. By August 27th all but 

 one had pupated, and the moths emerged between September 

 9th and October 1st. This other one fed on until the end 

 of September, when, after remaining stationary for upwards 

 of a week, it descended to the surface of the ground, spun 

 its cocoon, and the moth emerged on November 1st. 



" When I found that only a portion of the hibernated 

 larvae pupated in May, I fully expected that the remainder 

 would feed on, and produce imagines at or about the same 

 time as the moths from the summer larvae came out, as is 

 the case with some of the other double-brooded geometers ; 

 and, indeed, the fact of their feeding on for some time after 



