36 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



writing (November 13th) there are still stragglers. Both type and 

 helice visited the Zinnias in the gardens until the welcome break in 

 the unprecedented drought a few days ago. Males became, more 

 plentiful the last fifteen days of the flight, and some of these, as well as 

 females, were smaller and of the pale-yellow costa type known as 

 chrysothemeformis, Verity, transitional to gen. vem. By the way, it is 

 curious that Dr. Verity has given this name, for although I knew 

 nothing of the name having been accepted I had noticed this resem- 

 blance, and have the name in my correspondence with Mr. Bowland- 

 Brown, which only goes to show how striking is the resemblance to 

 C. chrysotheme. The late autumnal partial reversion to spring 

 forms occurs here in many Pieridse, P. rapce and P. manni especially, 

 P. brassicce and Pontia daplidtce ; all these often show this peculiarity. 

 — C. E. Mokris; Le Cannet, Alpes-Maritimes, November 13th, 1921. 

 [A century ago Stephens figured G. chrysotheme as a British 

 species with rather vague indications of origin (Stephens, ' Haust.,' 

 i, fol. 2). Feeling some doubt on the subject, and that Stephens 

 might have figured G. edusa, gen. vem., in error, I asked my friend 

 Mr. Sheldon to examine the record for me, being confined to the 

 house, and not possessing Stephens' work. He agrees that the 

 insects, $ and $ , figured are chrysotheme, but, as I myself, is con- 

 vinced that the models were of foreign origin. I may add that 

 collectors in France again and again have announced the capture of 

 chysotheme, though none of the great cabinets contain an authentic 

 -example. Those announced have usually turned out to be the very 

 chrysothemeformis of Mr. Morris's note. — H. B.-B.] 



Blue Spots in Chrysophanus phl^ias. — With regard to the dis- 

 cussion as to damp places and climates, causing or affecting the blue 

 spots in C. phlceas, I may add that we have had a drought unprece- 

 dented in memory here, and the hottest of autumns, and the blue 

 spots are larger and bluer than I have ever seen them. But I think 

 damp was found to have nothing to do with it, and you had " indi- 

 genous " evidence that the spots were developed just as finely in dry 

 places as upon marshes. — G. E. Morris ; Le Cannet, Alpes-Maritimes, 

 November 13th, 1921. 



COLIAS ELECTRA AND C. LESBIA (?) : PREPONDERANCE OF PALE 



Form. — I have read with interest Mr. Bowland-Brown's article on 

 the variation of Golias edusa (' Entom.,' vol. liv). I thought that 

 perhaps it might be useful to state that when I was in Natal in 

 1897-8 I took G. electra there commonly, but that the proportion of 

 females of the pale form greatly outnumbered the ordinary yellow 

 females. Trimen, in]his work on South African butterflies, announces 

 the pale female form of electra scarcer than the yellow form. Among 

 those of electra I took, I find that the proportion of the pale females 

 was about 3 to 1 of the yellow form. My specimens were all 

 taken in the Ladysmith district. My wife collected any butterflies 

 she could for me in Uruguay, and among the things she brought 

 back were several, I think, of C. lesbia. They consisted of about 6 

 males, two dark, and 10 pale females. They were all taken casually, 

 so it seems to indicate that the pale form predominated. Perhaps 

 in the warmer climates the pale females outnumber the yellow form, 



