NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 37 



and as the genus approaches colder regions the reverse takes place. 

 — Dudley Westropp ; National Museum, Kildare Street, Dublin. ■ 



Colias edusa in South Devon. — Further to the Rev. J. E. 

 Tarbat's record of the appearance of C. edusa at Budleigh Salterton 

 in August last (' Entom.,' vol. liv, p. 242), the insect seems to have 

 been fairly common along the coast, as I saw it in some numbers in 

 September. My son noticed the first, apparently a female, flying over 

 the shingle at the base of the cliffs on September 15th just below 

 Salcombe Eegis. On going up the valley to a flowery meadow we 

 saw several others and captured two, one of which was a female. 

 One or two rough days followed, but on visiting the same ground 

 quite a number were seen, a good many of which were flying over a 

 field of marigolds apparently seeking places of rest for the night. 

 One or two more were taken but they were somewhat worn and were 

 released. In the course of a week the brood dispersed, and odd ones 

 were noted a few miles inland and on the coast near Ladrum Bay. 

 The female taken on the 15th was put in an ordinary glass jam-jar 

 with some red clover and covered with net, which was placed in a 

 sunny window with partial shade. She laid about one dozen eggs on 

 each of the first three days, and on the fourth, which was exceedingly 

 hot, nearly 100, but a good number of the latter proved unfertile. 

 The obliging female then died. The eggs began to hatch on 

 September 27th and continued to do so irregularly for about three 

 weeks. On reaching home in October the larvae were placed on 

 potted-up plants of Trifolium repens, upon which they seemed to do 

 well. Red trifolium they refused when white was available. As 

 there was a small patch of lucerne within fifty yards of the house, a 

 crop which I have never seen grown in this neighbourhood before, a 

 number were given this food as a change of diet and commenced 

 . feeding upon it at once. Being so late in the season and as I have 

 no glass the cages were placed in a warm bathroom at night and 

 later inside a heated linen cupboard. The temperature of the 

 cupboard went up to a great height occasionally, especially once 

 when the door was inadvertently shut, but the larva? seemed to get 

 active with both heat and sunshine and generally began to feed. 

 The young larvae ate their own eggshells, and at each instar devoured 

 every fragment of the old skin, beginning with the head. Not a 

 single old head or skin was found in the cages during the larval stage. 

 The first pupated on October 20th. The linen cupboard was still 

 requisitioned, and the first imago appeared on November 3rd and the 

 last on November 22nd. In all 56 were bred, 31 males and 25 

 females, of which 10 were var. helice. Out of this total there were 

 five cripples. Most of the specimens are of good size, some being 

 larger than those taken at Sidmouth. The female from which the 

 eggs were obtained was normal in coloration with the light spots 

 on the margin of the fore wing well marked. The majority of the 

 females reared and especially the helice are remarkable for the 

 absence of the marginal spots, many of them being very dark and the 

 black bands quite deep. I am told that for 40 per cent, of the 

 females to be helice is unusual. Can this be accounted for by the 

 absence of sunshine or the heat of the linen cupboard ? The males- 

 are typical. — G. Hanson Sale ; Coxbench, Derby. 



