THE BUTTEBFLIES AND SPHINGIDS OF THE PENZANCE DISTRICT. 317 



thrives ; at present we only know of two localities in addition to that 

 mentioned by M. Riihl, ri::., the neitj:hbourhood of Plan-Cerisier 

 across the vineyards almost to the tower of La IJathiaz, and round 

 Saillon, Although Fully is very hot we have never met with it there. 

 Is this because Linaria vuhjaris is scarce there? We feel convinced 

 that so far this rare species has not been met with elsewhere, and we 

 ask nothinpf better than to be undeceived. 



The Butterflies and Sphinglds of the Penzance district. 



By WILLIAM DAWS. 



The Penzance district, being so little worked, should furnish some 

 interesting material for entomologists. The following arc notes that 

 I have made on the butterflies and Sphingids observed principally in 

 1898: 



Hesperides. — Pamphila si/lranns, fairly common in June, both on 

 dusty roadsides and in swampy situations ; two specimens also captured 

 late in August, 1898. 



Papilionides. — C/inj^oplianiis iildacas, decidedly scarce, in 1898, I 

 saw no more than half-a-dozen examples. Polyonimatm icanis, abun- 

 dant, swarmed in 1898, when I captured most of the female forms 

 a to I, mentioned in Tutt's Brithh Ihittcrjiics, p. 175. Ci/amris 

 an/iulus, first seen flying on April 8th, 1898, when it was in fair num- 

 bers, but the second brood was very poorly represented. The larvae 

 here, I believe, feed on ivy, the flowers of EscaUonia, and Laiircstinus ; 

 holly is a scarce plant hereabouts. I'ieris brassicae, first seen March 

 28rd, 1898, by the 28th they were flying in numbers, and there was a 

 continual succession of broods until October. I captured the so-called 

 spring form, ab. charicira, with the autumnal form, brassicae, in 

 October, so that the former is not confined to the spring brood. Great 

 damage was committed in the autumn to the market gardens, fields of 

 cabbages and broccoli being stripped throughout the district, whilst in 

 September and October, 1898, the larviB were crushed in hundreds 

 in the public roads, and entered houses, &c., for the purposes of pupa- 

 tion ; many pup® were diseased and collapsed soon after pupation, 

 exuding a fluid which smelt very oftensively, whilst many larvse were 

 affected with ichneumons. The first Pirris rapae, a female, was noticed 

 on March 20th, 1898, the s^Decies being only moderately abundant in this 

 district ; autumn pupa; were very scarce. Pieris na/n', not observed 

 until April 11th, 1898, the spring brood rare, and the sunnner brood 

 far from abundant. I considered some of the ? s heavily marked, 

 probably var. sahdlicac The experiment related in Jhitish JJittterjUcs, 

 pp. 236-7, by which Mr. Hawes proved that from the same batch of 

 June-laid eggs, part produced var. soldi uac in July, whilst the others 

 went over and produced the ordinary form the following spring, is 

 most interesting. Pucfdoe cardawiiu's, appears early in the year, is 

 fairly abundant in both sexes, whilst the ab. turritis is frequent. Culias 

 ednsa, decidedly rare in this locality ; five specimens (two J and three 

 2 ) seen in 1898, the first on August 19th. Dri/as jiajdiia, about half a 

 dozen poor specimens observed during the first week of August ; in 

 some years they are quite common. Jhrntliia sdeiu', taken in the 

 middle of May ; it appeared to be very local, as I only found it in one 

 spot, where, however, it was very abundant. Vanctma io, decidedly 



