358 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



it seems strange to see Mr. Harcourt-Bath's assertion {ante, p. 257) 

 that ** no name appears to have been given to this very distinctive 

 seasonally dimorphic form." Perhaps it is _^fortunate — since the 

 name proposed by hun, lutescens, is not very suitable to an insect 

 which is not yellow — that the prior name hiitchinsonii, given by Mr. 

 Eobson, exists. That no doubt may remain in any one's mind, I 

 venture to furnish extracts which will show, not only that the name 

 was given, but also that it is known and used. Forty years ago I 

 used to take V. c-album in Shropshire, as I since know, in two broods ; 

 it is interesting to know, from Mr. Harcourt-Bath's statement, that 

 it is still there. — Chas. G. Barrett. 



" Vanessa c-album. — The summer form is so different and so con- 

 stant in its appearance that it ought to have a distinctive name, and 

 we suggest that it be called hutchinsonii, in compliment to that lady 

 whose liberality has enriched so many cabinets with specimens, whose 

 knowledge of the species is not exceeded by that of any one living, 

 and to whom we are greatly indebted for information mentioned 

 above, and for the larva and pupa figured. — J. E. Eobson." — * Young 

 Naturalist,' vol. ii. p. 110. 



" Vanessa c-album. — Common, some years especially so, e.g. 1887. 

 The var. hutchinsonii (spring brood) maybe obtained. — E. W. Bowell ; 

 H.evefordL.''—' Entomologisfs Record,' vol. ii. p. 136. 



Mr. Harcourt-Bath is quite mistaken when he states (ante, p. 257) 

 that he was the first to discover that the pale form of this species 

 " only occurs as an aberration of the first generation in the season in 

 this country." I pointed this out to Mr. Doubleday many years ago, 

 and to many other entomologists since. I should be thankful to any- 

 one who remembers my doing so, if they would corroborate my state- 

 ment. Mr. Harcourt-Bath politely calls on me to state " where a 

 definition under the cognomen" (of hutchinsonii) ''was published." I 

 am obhged to him for doing so, as it enables me to correct an error in 

 the 'Entomologist' for last month, where, trusting to memory, I 

 stated that Mr. Doubleday named the spring form after me. On going 

 to look, I find it was Mr. Eobson, of Hartlepool, who did so, as any 

 entomologist can satisfy himself, by referring to ' The Young Natura- 

 list ' for Feb. 15th, 1881, or by consulting ' A List of British Lepido- 

 ptera and their Named Varieties.' All my rearing is carried on in a 

 room without any fire, with windows to the north and east. — E. S. 

 Hutchinson. 



[Some interesting remarks by Mr. Frohawk, on the pale form 

 of Vanessa c-album, will be found Entom. xxvii. pp. 288, 289. — Ed.] 



On Preserving Spiders. — It sometimes surprises me that the 

 study of spiders does not occupy more of the time and attention of 

 naturalists, although I account for this partly by the difficulty of pre- 

 serving the specimens ; bottled spiders are not attractive. Of late I 

 believe the study has gained more adherents, and the result of a lew 

 experiments I have made in preserving them may be useful. It is 

 desirable that spiders should be attached to and set, like Coleoptera, 

 on cards, but hitherto this has not been practicable, owing to their 

 tendency to rot or shrivel. To obviate these defects I have tried pre- 

 paring them by the same process microscopists have of hardening 



