NOTES ON COLLECTING. 23 



latri.v. (2) On pp. 89 and 107, " Gracilaria imperialella " should 

 evidently be " Gracilaria hofiuanniella," since the latter is the species 

 that feeds on Lathyrus (" Orobus ") niger, the former confining its 

 attentions, as far as is known, to Symphytum. (3) On p. 109, 

 '' Nephoptery.o abietella" should everywhere be " Dioryctria splendidella," 

 as clearly proved by the reference (p. 108) to the larva feeding on cones 

 of spruce fir, and by our knowledge that Dr. Wood's published notes, 

 upon which the hints are founded, refer to the latter species. Formerly, 

 both splendidella, H.-S. [syloestrella, Ratz.), and decuriella, Hb. {abietella 

 (S.V.), Zk.), were confused in Britain under the one name ^'■abietella.''' 

 I have no doubt that the hint on ^^ Nephopteryx abietella" on p. 120, is 

 also based on experience with aplendidella, rather than with decuriella. 

 — Eustace R. Bankes, M.A., Norden, Corfe Castle. November Wth, 

 1905. [We are much indebted to Mr. Bankes for these corrections of 

 misused names. There are one or two others, inseparable from hand- 

 ling so large a mass of material, when one thinks more of things than 

 names, and calls things by the old familiar names, without troubling 

 as one should to look up recent corrections, etc. — Ed.] 



^lilOTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Breeding Papilio machaon autumnal imagines. — In Mr. Floer- 

 sheim's interesting account [antea, xvii., p. 277) of breeding P. 

 machaon, he shows that Skimmia fragrans is the favourite foodplant on 

 which the ova were laid. I have also this year bred P. machaon and 

 P. asterias in a large out-of-door cage covered wiih tiffany of coarse 

 mesh. Acting on Mr. Floersheim's advice I had Skimmia oblata 

 bushes, which is closely allied to S. fragrans, the only other foodplant 

 being fennel. My experience differs in that both species laid freely on 

 fennel, and that no searching revealed ova on Skimmia. I have 

 nineteen Skimmia and four large fennel plants. The original P. 

 machaon pup^e came from the Continent. Being away on the Conti- 

 nent during July, I was unable to observe the larv^ during their later 

 stages, and, prior to this, most of the larvaB were transferred to beds of 

 carrot and fennel outside the butterfly-house, and only protected by 

 bird-netting. On my return most of the larvse had wandered from 

 these beds ; those still in the butterfly-house had, with few exceptions, 

 suspended themselves among the bushes and on the sides of the house. 

 During the autumn several P. machaon and P. asterias emerged, both 

 in the garden and also in the butterfly-house. I regret that a large 

 proportion of the pupae in the houses were destroyed by some small fly 

 and, I believe, beetles, before I rescued the remainder. I believe the 

 only safe way of saving pupae of this species will be in future to 

 remove the full-fed larvae to cages covered with leno. — E. E. Bentall, 

 F.E.S., The Towers, Heybridge, Essex. November 26th, 1905. 



Appearance and disappearance of Lepidoptera at Marlow. — In 

 the Ent. Record, 1902, p. 24, I noticed the appearance at Marlow of 

 Polyommatus bellargus. It has now% apparently, altogether disappeared. 

 Why this should have happened it is difficult to say, I am disposed to 

 attribute it to the spread of tall coarse grasses over the few patches of 

 Hippocrepis. This may have prevented the ? s from laying their eggs 

 on the foodplant, or may have retained the rain and dew to such an 

 extent as to make the place too damp for the health of the larv«. 



