NOTRS AND OBSERVATIONS. 127 



scarcity is continued for the third year in succession. — W. Grover; 

 Guildford, February, 1890. 



Larva of Pieris BRASSic-as in December. — I \Yas greatly surprised 

 last Sunday to see larvae of Pieris brassica feeding upon a cabbage-plant 

 in a neighbour's garden. Is not this an unusual occurrence at this 

 time of the year ? The larvae I obtained in August were full-fed in 

 September, and pupated the same month. — George E. Garland; 94, 

 Sedgwick Road, Leyton, E., Dec. 19tlj, 1895. 



Wingless or partially wingless Females. — Mr. Arlde remarks 

 (Entom. xxviii. 168) upon the sluggishness of wingless females. In this 

 I certainly caunot agree with him. I grant that they are quiet enough 

 by day, but has he seen them at night ? The activity of those of Nyssia 

 hispidaria is quite remarkable, and I venture to say that they are quite 

 capable of distributing their ova, even to the outer extremities of the 

 larger oak branches. It appears to me that the loss of wing power is 

 in a great measure compensated for by the length and strength of the 

 legs. I have found most females inactive until after copulation, but 

 the wingless females which have come under my observation are an 

 exception to this rule. 1 should think that if it was a common 

 practice for the males to carry up the females, pairs in cop. would be 

 frequently captured on the wing. — A. T. Mitchell; 5, Clayton 

 Terrace, Gunuersbury, W. 



Note on Vanessa urtic^. — I found the larvae of Vanessa urticm 

 exceedingly abundant last season, both in this district and in Devon- 

 shire. A series bred from Chiswick larvae were remarkable for their 

 tendency to the banded form in nearly all the specimens, and several 

 were very strongly marked in this respect. Subsequently, hoping to 

 get further varieties, I visited the exact locality, and collected a 

 number of pupae, of which all but one were suspended to the stems or 

 leaves of the very nettles on which the larvae had been nourished. The 

 pupae were all of the gilded form, that is, entirely gilded or nearly so, 

 and they were consequently very beautiful objects, especially in a 

 strong light. Although this form is mentioned in Newman's work, I 

 had not previously observed it. I was quite unsuccessful in getting 

 any good examples from these pupae, for each produced only a 

 multitude of small parasites. Could it be that the larvae, being stung, 

 had not sufficient strength to travel and pupate in the ordinary way on 

 fences, &c., where I usually find them, and that the gilded appearance 

 of the pupae was caused by their position — unsheltered from the sun 

 upon the wholly or partially defoliated food-plant ? — Alfred T. 

 Mitchell ; 5, Clayton Terrace, Gunnersbury, W. 



Aplasta ononaria. — The inclusion in the catalogue of Mr. C. E. 

 Fry's insects, at his sale on the 9th inst., of a specimen of this insect, 

 described as ** taken at Folkestone, 3rd August, 1877, by C. Bailey," 

 induces me to add a few remarks to Dr. Knaggs's note on this species 

 (Entom. xxvii. 135), Mr. Bailey's specimen being, I believe, hitherto 

 unrecorded, and coming as a surprise to most of us. The known 

 captures were seven in number, all being taken in the Warren at 

 Folkestone. The first specimen was taken on or about July 18th, 

 1866, by Mr, B, Piffard. This specimen was, as Dr. Knaggs says, 



