204 THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 
SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
Periop or Incupation or EGGS oF AlGERIA APIFORMIS.—Mr. Donis- 
thorpe sent me some eggs, just laid, of Myeria apiformis, which I 
received on July 14th. They hatched out on August 2nd. July 12th 
to August 2nd will give exactly three weeks as the period of incubation. 
They were in a temperature rarely below 70°, and probably averaging 
a little above that.—Dr. T. A. CHapman, Betula, Reigate. August, 
1916. 
Pyramets caRDUI: Dr. Verity’s ReEmaRKs p. 128.—I have read with 
some astonishment Dr. Verity’s remarks on this species. I have seen 
and handled numerous African specimens from Northern Nigeria to the 
Cape, and so far as my experience goes they are smaller than the type. 
When Dr. Verity says African are generally larger and redder than 
others, he must surely be referring to these north of the Sahara, 
P. kershawti may be distinct from P. cardui, but cardui with blue 
submarginal spots on the hindwings have been taken in the New Forest 
and Holland, and I can positively state also at Grand Forks, North 
Dakota, as I have recently set one from there. And per contra ker- 
shawti without blue spots has been taken at Mount Dandening, in 
Victoria, so that whether we are dealing with two species or only one, 
something more can be said of the variability of cardui than Dr. Verity 
asserts.—Harry Moors, 12, Lower Road, S.E. 
Arracks By Birps on Butrerrims.—I saw during the last fort- 
night of July three attacks made by birds on butterflies, in each case 
unsuccessfully. The first was at Witherslack, and the species attacked 
was Pieris rapae. (For size it might have been P. napi, but no speci- 
mens of that species were seen at this time, whereas P. rapae was just 
out and very conspicuous.) The aggressor was, I have no doubt, the 
spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa grisola, L.), for the flight was unmis- 
takable; the bird darted out from a bush at the passing butterfly, made 
two or three snaps at it while hovering (or apparently sitting) in the air, 
and then returned to its perch, the butterfly pursuing the uneven tenor 
of its way apparently quite unperturbed. The second attack was at 
Guildford, and the intended victim was again P. rapae. In this case 
the aggressor was a sparrow, which made several determined attacks on 
the insect, which was flying very low near the lawn. The sparrow’s 
attacks were made alternately from the two sides, but the butterfly 
made no apparent effort to alter its course, yet always contrived to be 
either above or below its antagonist when the snap was made. I made 
rather a study of the flight of P. rapae after this, and found that it had 
exactly the same manner of evading the net without the slightest ap- 
parent effort. In the third case, also at Guildford, a swallow made 
what I thought at the moment a successful swoop at Aglais wrticae. 
Apparently, however, it overshot its mark, and the butterfly escaped. 
Unlike P. rapae, it had evidently had a shock to its nerves, for it fled 
precipitately.—G. Wuexumr, 37, Gloucester Place, W. 
Tue ‘‘ CaRRYING”’ HABITS OF THE SEXES IN PAIRED BurTERFLIES.— 
I had only the opportunity of noting three species this summer, and in 
every case former experiences were confirmed. Between July 19th and 
24th I several times saw Aryynnis aglaia flying paired at Witherslack, 
and also Epinephele jurtina, in both cases the? carried the g. Lalso 
saw two cases of A. adippe on the 22nd. In the one case the ? carried 
