140 THE ENTOMOLOGIST'S RECORD. 
spun up. I did not try again as by the 30th every larva had made its 
cocoon, and I believe had I started a week earlier I could have obtained 
almost unlimited quantities. I have never yet worked for this larva 
before May 28th, and therefore assume its previous scarcity to be more 
apparent than real—the great majority having by that time spun 
up. 
Another larva in the district in unusual numbers is that of Plusia 
moneta. On May 18th from three plants of Monkshood in a cottage 
garden I picked off over 30 larvee and left many more small ones in the 
flower-beds. Many of these also commenced to spin at once. Arctia 
caja and Cosmotriche (Odonestis) potatoria have been obtainable in 
almost any numbers; forty of the latter being picked off grass at the 
foot of fifty yards of hedge in a few minutes, and some Ayglais urticae 
are by this date (June 5th) already full fed. So far parasite attacks 
are not in evidence at all, so there should be a great abundance of 
perfect insects later on. 
In addition to larve, spring butterflies have been in more than 
usual abundance. 
Hibernated A. urticae, Vanessa to, and Gonepterya rhamni made a 
marvellous show during the late days of March and the condition of 
the Vanessidae was wonderful. 
I believe this to be due to the fact that the warm June of 1917 
brought these two species along so fast that they produced a fairly 
complete additional brood late in the year which went almost straight 
into hibernation. This was the case at any rate in this part of 
Essex. G. rhamni, on the other hand, was in its usual more or less 
wasted spring condition. 
These have been followed by more than usual abundance of 
Euchloé cardamines, especially females, and now WNisoniades tages, 
Rumicia (Chrysophanus) phlaeas, Coenonympha pamphilus, Pararge me- 
gera, Heliaca tenebrata, and Fuclidia mi are abounding. On the 
other hand, the Pierids, Hesperia malvae and Celastrina argiolus are 
decidedly fewer than last year. If this is generally so in the case of 
the Pierids, it is a matter for congratulation for allotment holders and 
others, as last year they worked sad havoc among the cabbages and 
their kindred.—Russett James, Ongar Park Cottage, Ongar. June 
5th, 1918. 
Apatura Iris on Aspen.—During an evening stroll on Blackdown, 
Haslemere, on June Ist, I noticed a group of small aspens very much 
eaten and commenced searching for Taeniocampa populeti larvee, which - 
proved to be not uncommon. 
Whilst doing so I found, to my great surprise, a half-grown larva 
of Apatura iris. A very careful search failed to produce another, but 
this is the only case within my knowledge of A. iris feeding away 
from its usual food plant. 
There was no sallow in the immediate neighbourhood from which 
it could have come. It continued to eat aspen for the two days I 
spent at Haslemere, but I have now sleeved it on sallow and it takes 
readily to the change and is growing rapidly.—I». 
Spring Lepmorrera in Surrey.—On June 2nd I spent three or 
four hours in a wood not far from the Hampshire border of Surrey 
and found Leptosia (Leucophasia) sinapts already nearly over. 
