278 [December, 



spiracles large and conspicuous, intensely black ; the short hairs greyish. Ventral 

 surface of a semi-transparent greyish colour, the prolegs having on the outside a 

 large smoky-olive mark, and on the inside tipped v^ith a very delicate pink tinge. 



Before hibernation fed chiefly on knotgrass, but also ate a little 

 dandelion, of which they seemed to prefer the withered leaves ; after 

 hibernation, almost entirely on withered dandelion leaves. Probably 

 neither plant is the natural food. 



Crosland Hall, Huddersfield : 

 Octoler 12th, 1898. 



A third brood of Pieris hrassicce. — On the morning of October 23rd I watched 

 for some time a white butterfly enjoying itself in the sunshine in a small garden 

 fronting one of the houses in a main thoroughfare of Sheerness. Its small size led 

 me at first to think it was Pieris rapce, stragglers of which species have been seen 

 on the wing well into the present month of November ; but on a closer view it 

 proved to be P. brassicce $ in absolutely fresh and perfect condition, but not more 

 than two-thirds of the usual size ; the black apical blotch being much powdered 

 with white scales, giving it the greyish appearance so frequently seen in specimens 

 of the spring brood. It was evidently one of a partial third generation during the 

 present year, as the last of the very numerous specimens of the normal second brood 

 had disappeared before the end of August. In the very fine and warm autumn of 

 1893 a partial third brood of Pararge Megara was observed here as well as else- 

 where in October {cf. Ent. Mo. Mag., ser. 2, vol. iv, p. 287, and vol. v, p. 10), but 

 Pieris brassicce apparently did not produce a third generation in that year, and 

 indeed, the present instance is the first in my experience in which it has done so in 

 Britain. On the same day a specimen of Pyrameis cardui, apparently just out of 

 pupa, was taken near here by a local collector ; can this have been the produce of 

 the August specimens? — James J. Walkee, 23, Eanelagh Eoad, Sheerness: 

 November 10th, 1898. 



Late appearance of Pyrameis cardui. — On November Ist I had the pleasure of 

 seeing two specimens of the above busy at the flowers of valerian at Salcombe, South 

 Devon ; a third being noticed settling on some lofty cliffs. A specimen of P. 

 Atalanta was observed on the same day.— R. M. Peideattx, 105, Keigate Hill : 

 November Sth, 1898. 



Sphinx convolvuli, Sfc, in North Devon. — In September of the present year S. 

 convolvuli was quite common in my garden at Morthoe. Sometimes five or six were 

 in sight at once hovering over the flowers of the white tobacco ; they were so bold 

 that a moth sucked honey from a flower held in my hand ! Colias Pldusa was con- 

 spicuous by its absence. Vanessa Atalanta and V. urticce were unusually common, 

 but Cynthia cardui, often very common in that locality, rarely put in an appearance. 

 Plusia gamma and Phlogophora meticulosa were both extremely abundant ; and 

 Pararge Egeria was much commoner than I have known it. I mention these facts 



