214. thk entomologist's record. 



of Pont-de-1'Arche (Eure) sent to me by Dupont. He informs us in 

 his Catalogue des Lepidopteres of that region [Bull. Soc. -Amis des 

 Sciences Nat. de Rouen, 1902, p. 23] that it has two generations. I 

 only know the second one. It at once strikes one by its small, 

 uniform size, frail build, and still more by its pale colouring. Closer 

 inspection shows also that it does not vary individually as much as 

 most other races ; the black pattern in both sexes is constantly very 

 complete, but the streaks are notably thin ; the marginal one is more 

 or less visibly divided in two, as it always is to a far greater extent on 

 the underside. In the female the black pattern is never very much 

 thicker than in the male, but the fulvous is in some specimens 

 replaced by a dirty white tinge in some of the spaces. A very similar 

 race I have from Thennelieres in the Aube, but it is more variable and 

 comes a step nearer the usual aspect, seen, for instance, at Angers, at 

 Aix-les-Bains (where I collected it in the company of Charles 

 Oberthur, on the summit of the Mt. Eevard), round Geneva, in the 

 Jura, etc. Instead the other race, which stands out amongst all these, 

 is one sent from the Gironde by the Abbe Sorin. The peculiarity here 

 is the very unusual extent of the black markings, which makes it 

 stand quite opposite to the preceding inanis race of the Eure. So 

 unusual is it that, notwithstanding the look of the underside of hind- 

 wings, unmistakably of a parthenie, although the extraordinarily thick 

 black streaks do alter the aspect also on that surface, I did not feel at 

 ease about these insects till I had sent one to Dr. Eeverdin and got his 

 verdict from an examination of the genitalia (slide 6230 of his files) 

 that it was quite clearly a parthenie. The look of upperside suggests 

 much more a small athalia, or still better, that very interesting little 

 Melitaea from Turin, which I have called aweliaeformis (see Ent. Rec, 

 xxxi., p. 193), and which Reverdm has since actually discovered to be 

 a species perfectly distinct from any other yet known, by its remark- 

 able genitalia ; there is no transition to athalia, as I had thought, on 

 account of the superficial resemblance of some individuals. In the 

 Gironde parthenie in question here, what is particularly characteristic 

 is the breadth of the two premarginal black streaks on all the wings ; 

 the fulvous spaces between them are reduced to small round spots, 

 instead of long rectangles ; the spaces between the outer one of the 

 two and the marginal band are also reduced to very small round spots, 

 instead of the usual lunulate shape ; thus, some of the chief parthenie 

 characteristics are quite abolished in this race. The fulvous is of a 

 duller and deeper reddish tinge than in any parthenie I have seen and 

 recalls the tone of some athalia. I unfortunately do not know the 

 exact locality of this race in the Gironde. Two specimens from St. 

 Come Bazas, sent the following year by Sorin, are quite different and 

 belong to the most diffused race of the species, although this locality 

 also is in the Gironde. 



(To be continued.) 



Rearing Callimorpha quadripunctaria (hera). 



By J. P. BIRD. 

 As I have been fairly successful with Callimorpha quadripunctaria 

 [hera), which, I believe, is considered rather difficult to rear, the fol- 

 lowing notes may, perhaps, be found of some use. 



