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THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



ram, and all the pots were submerged for about half an hour in water. 

 This had little or no effect upon the pupae, every one of which, I should 

 say, produced a moth. Chi were the first to show themselves, from 

 Aug. 4th to 14th. Imagines of olivacea appeared from Aug. 10th 

 until Aug. 22nd. Several of the chi pupae produced the var. olivacea, 

 but none of the olivacea produced chi. Many specimens of the variety 

 were so dark an olive-green as to be almost black, the white markings 

 showing up handsomely on the dark ground. In the Chester district, 

 North Wales included, I take the species (but never the variety) chiefly 

 from the old walls of Beeston Castle, on a high wooded precipitous hill 

 to the left of the railway between Crewe and Chester. The form for 

 this district is pale and weakly marked in comparison with the hand- 

 somer Durham one. At Beeston, on Aug. 14th and 17th, I took 

 altogether twelve P. chi from off the castle walls, where the moth rests 

 during the day. These were chiefly for pairing purposes. The results 

 were as follows :—Chi, either from Beeston or Durham, or when 

 crossed by each other, paired readily, and I got plenty of eggs ; chi 

 crossed with olivacea, or vice versa, paired badly, and I only got about 

 twenty eggs ; olivacea failed. One of the females laid a dozen or more 

 infertile eggs.— J. Arkle ; 2, George Street, Chester. 



PoLiA NiGROciNCTA BRED FROM THE Egg. — In March, 1894, 1 reccivcd 

 thirteen eggs of P. nigrocincta. The parent moth had been taken the 

 previous season by Mr. Murray, of Carnforth, in the Isle of Man. The 

 eggs began to hatch on April 19th. Although the larvae had every 

 attention, and full choice among the prescribed food-plants, — different 

 campions, violet, harebell, plantain, &c.,— they ate very httle, and 

 died, one after the other, up to July 24th. A second batch of thirteen 

 eggs, m 1895, hatched April 26th. The Qgg is dome-shaped, pale 

 purplish brown, with a considerable apical zone of the same colour, 

 but much deeper in tint, almost black. It is ribbed, the ribs standing 

 out prominently, especially from the centre of the apical zone. In the 

 centre of this black-purple-brown zone is a raised dot. From this dot 

 spring the raised ribs, nine or ten in number. These presently sub- 

 divide, and spread longitudinally over the bulk of the shell. The 

 stages I observed in the growth of the caterpillar are the following :— 

 First (after hatching) : One-eighth of an inch long ; a few bristles on 

 each segment. To the eye the caterpillar appears the width of a fine 

 stroke with the pen. Head pale, clouded with light brown. Body 

 pale dull green, also claspers. First five segments (after the head) 

 dark purple, dorsally, but this is not a constant character. Each 

 segment has four dorsal black spots, and two on each side. These 

 spots form two dorsal lines and a line along each side. In walking 

 the larvae loop like geometers, and, if alarmed, sit up in the form of 

 the letter S. Both these characteristics are observable in P. chi. 

 Second stage : Head green and clouded with yellowish. Dorsally the 

 segments are dull dark green. Below the spiracles the colour, including 

 the legs and claspers, is bright apple-green. Along the whole of the 

 dull dark green dorsal area is a central whitish-green line. There is 

 a similar line along each side, the side hues being just situated in the 

 dull green dorsal area. The four dorsal spots each emit a minute 

 bristle. The segment divisions are clearly marked dorsally in whitish 



