BUTTEEFLIES IN THE WYE VALLEY DURING 1906. 279 



we kept all emerged on the 6th. These handsome larvas, when nearly 

 fullgrown, place themselves in an extraordinary attitude when resting. 

 The posterior extremity up to, and sometimes, but rarely, including, 

 the last pair of abdominal claspers, is lifted well off the foodplant; the 

 anterior half is bent at right angles and slightly arched to one side, 

 curved back again at the legs, so that the head is turned, almost at 

 right angles, forward. The larvte pupated between August 28th and. 

 August 30th, and so passed through the "heat wave" in that state. 

 I think this must have hurried up the emergence of the imagines, the 

 length of the pupal lives being from 10 to 13 days, instead of 23 to 27 

 days as noted for the autumn brood last year; averaging less than that 

 of the summer brood, so far as we have ascertained. This high 

 temperature, or, perhaps, the effect of it in hastening the emergence, 

 seems to have acted upon the coloration of the wings, for the upper- 

 sides of all, including the one bred from the pupa I found, have the 

 light margins, and are as light in colour as ordinary specimens of the 

 summer brood (not ab. hutcMnsoni) . The curious thing is that the 

 abnormal heat (if I am right in imagining that to be the cause) has in 

 no way affected the undersides ; so that the six specimens we have 

 bred this autumn, have, in appearance, first brood uppersides, with 

 what I believe is the normal dark and plain undersides of the second 

 brood. It would be interesting to hear what results other breeders 

 of this insect have had this autumn. 



Pieris rapac. — First brood, April 6th-June 24th. Second brood, 

 July 24th- September 18th. 



Pararge efieria. — April 12th, May 4th, and xA^ugust 29th. In 1904, 

 the males were exceedingly abundant, the females being much less 

 common. In 1905, the species was decidedly scarcer. This year it 

 was very scarce, in fact, the only specimens I saw were single ones on 

 the dates mentioned. 



Euchlo'e cardamines. — April 16th-June 19th. Not so common as 

 usual, 



Hesperia walvae. — April 25th-June 19th. Fairly common. On 

 June 12th, I netted a beautifully marked ab. taras, unfortunately in 

 rather poor condition. 



Nisoniades tat/es. — May 13th-June 30th. Abundant this year. 



Pieris napi. — First brood. May 13th-June 11th. Second brood, 

 July 17th September 1st. Specimens of the second brood were not 

 as well-marked as the same brood last year. The weather, during June 

 and July, was much cooler here this year, than was the case in 1905, 

 and I am wondering whether this was the reason. Examples obtained 

 in 1905 are unusually well-marked, with extra spots showing on the 

 hindwings, and some of the specimens are above the average in size. 



Rumicia phlaeas. — First brood, May 15th- June 13th. Second brood, 

 August 6th- September 1st. On August 8th, I captured, at Tintern, a 

 ? ab. caeruleopiinctata, with an extra spot on the forewings, in the discal 

 cell, towards the base of the wings. 



Brentliis eaphrosyne. — May 15th-June 13th. Not quite so common 

 in our immediate neighbourhood, but plentiful in Gloucestershire, 

 near Redbrook. 



Pyrameis cardui. — May 29th-July 25th. New brood, August 3rd 

 (first one bred), August 6th (first wild one) to August 22nd. 



Polyommatus i car us. — First brood, June 5th- July 19th. Second 



