238 . THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The first capture of Papilio hospiton was an event of some 

 importance, and by a mere accident I was that fortunate captor. 

 My friend Jones and I had strolled down one lovely morning, 

 about June 15th, to Tattone, the first station from Vizzavona in 

 the direction of Corte. We were just then intent on the new 

 form of L. argus referred to above. We had each our favourite 

 field for it, to the left of the high road just before reaching the 

 village. Hospiton, though never entirely absent from our 

 thoughts, was for the moment overshadowed by the less preten- 

 tious little stranger. Jones, on this occasion, had consented to 

 enter my domain ; in common courtesy I should have given him 

 the pas, but a habit engendered by long legs and an eager tem- 

 perament took me first over the wall, and there, almost at my 

 feet, was the gorgeous Papilio, resting on a head of clover — a 

 superb female, which I promptly and easily secured. The food- 

 plant given by Lang and Kane is Ferrula communis, and a 

 magnificent plant it is. At Vivario, about 2000 ft., it was at least 

 5 ft. high, with round flat-topped umbels of a dazzling Indian 

 yellow; at Tattone, 500 ft. higher, it was not yet in flower. 

 Generally speaking, perhaps it may be said that when a plant 

 arrives at maturitj^ the insect whose larva feeds on it is already 

 in a moribund condition, or approaching it; in other words, 

 ceteris paribus, the higher the elevation the later the emergence of 

 the imago. So, on the day following that on which I took the 

 female hospiton at Tattone, Mr. Raine, of Hyeres, took a fine 

 male at the same spot ; and Mr. Jones took a worn female the 

 next day at Corte, 1300 ft. lower, and a worn male several days 

 later at Tattone. These are probably the only captures of the 

 imago in Corsica this year, but after we left several larvae were 

 taken, I am told, on a species of Peucedanum, the name of which 

 has not yet reached me. 



(To be continued.) 



THE EARLY STAGES OF THESTOR BALLUS, Fab. 

 By F. Beomilow. 



On the 29th of March last, I had the pleasure of receiving 

 twenty-six eggs of Thestor ballus, taken the previous day on 

 Lotus hispidus, at Hyeres, by Mr. Frederick Raine. The species 

 is, I believe, common there, though always very rare at other 

 places along the South of France. These ova are shiny, round, 

 considerably flattened at the poles, and in colour are pale pea- 

 green. They are usually laid singly, on the upper surface of the 

 leaves, or between the hairy calyces of the plant. 



According to most authors, the species is stated as feeding 



