204 THE entomologist's becord. 



yet produced butterflies, or that they will do so. It is to be presumed 

 that the young larvfe, from the eggs of the first brood, which were 

 flung out about August 16th to 20th, would have hibernated as larvae 

 or pupae, or some in one stage and some in the other. The continuous 

 succession of perfectly freshly hatched butterflies from early spring till 

 the middle of June would indicate the hibernation of individunl larvse 

 of very different growths, or of larvae and pupte. It appears to be 

 extremely likely from these 1916 observations that ec/eiides sometmies 

 takes the full year, or about that time, from egg to imago. 



"Dr. Perkins draws my attention to another interesting point which 

 I should like to mention. It appears to be the case that while the second 

 brood males are normally and on the average darker than the first 

 brood, it is the reverse with the females, which are on the whole brighter 

 in the second brood. 



" These experiments by Dr. Perkins are exceedingly useful and we 

 are very thankful to him for undertaking them and for giving us the 

 results of his work. They go a long way towards clearing up many 

 obscure points in the life-history of this butterfly, in the south-western 

 districts of our island, and we look forward with much interest to his 

 further observations on the brood which will result from the late 

 summer and autumn laid eggs, some of which are now (October) 

 hatching out." 



In order to continue the breeding a limited number of eggs was 

 obtained in September from several females of the second brood. It was 

 thought advisable to have a few eggs from each butterfly rather than a 

 full supply from one or (as I bad had in the summer) an excessive 

 number from many parents. Only about four dozen eggs were kept 

 and as the weather was excessively stormy the young larvae were 

 removed later from the open to the window ledge of a loft, the window 

 being always kept partly open. During the autumn and winter growth' 

 was very slow, but not even when the water outside was frozen hard, 

 and skating was possil^le for a week or more close to the sea-shore, was 

 feeding entirely suspended. When the sun shone on the grass, which 

 was grown in flower pots, some of the young caterpillars were distinctly 

 seen to be eating on more than one occasion during the severest 

 weather. 



In March seven of the largest caterpillars were brought into a glass 

 house (unhealed), the temperature of which on sunny days rose to 70° 

 or even higher still. The first pupa was formed on April 3rd, another 

 a few days after, but others not until two weeks later, by Avhich time 

 some of the larvae in the loft window had also fixed themselves for 

 pupation. The first butterflies appeared in the glass house on May 3rd 

 and 4th. 



On May 6th there were about 40 pupa? in the cages in the loft 

 window and a few caterpillars were still feeding. The last imago from 

 these emerged on June 12th, the first on May 15th. In all 48 examples 

 were bred (26 ^ and 22 J ) and excepting two pupae destroyed by some car- 

 nivorous creature in one of the cages I believe practically every egg must 

 have produced a perfect butterfly. No species is easier to rear or gives 

 less trouble. It may be said that the eggs from which the butterflies 

 emerged (from May 3rd to June 12th) were all laid during four days, 

 but, as stated, were from several parents. 



Now as to the wild specimens in the spring of 1917. An isolated 



