102 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



made from observation of the perfect insects only ; he had 

 found the two flying together, and the sexes pursuing one 

 another : he thought the differences between the butterflies, 

 without amounting to specific distinction, might be accounted 

 for by differences in the external conditions to which they 

 were subject. An instance of this kind had lately come under 

 his notice : in India, Capt. Lang had been in the habit of 

 taking what at the time of capture he thought were two 

 distinct butterflies, one in marshy land, the other in dry 

 situations, the marsh insect being thickly covered with down, 

 the highland insect not ; but Capt. Lang was now satisfied 

 that the two were but one species, Callerebia Scanda, which 

 was liable to modification by surrounding circumstances. 



Dimorphism of Larva of Acherontia Atropos. — Mr. Stainton 

 mentioned an instance of dimorphism in the larva state : a 

 form of larva of Acherontia Atropos sometimes occurred with 

 the ordinary markings obliterated and with only a few whitish 

 blotches in front, so that there was really nothing but the 

 shape of the anal horn by which the larva could be identified 

 as Atropos : he had known of the occurrence of about twenty 

 of these abnormal larvae in the last twenty years ; and there 

 was no perceptible diff'erence in the imago. [See my 

 description of this beautiful variety (Entom. ii. 281). — Edward 

 Newmaii.^ 



Varieties of Gnophos ohscurata, dtc. — Mr. J. Jenner Weir 

 referred to Gnophos obscurata, which was found nearly white 

 on the chalk downs, and in fact varied from nearly white to 

 sooty black according to the geological formation of the 

 locality where it occurred. [See my figures of these varieties 

 (Brit. Moths, p. 68). — E. Newma?i.] Mr. Pascoe mentioned 

 Apion Germari, which when found on Mercurialis perennis 

 was constantly of one form, and when found on Mercurialis 

 tomentosus was constantly of another form ; yet no one 

 hitherto had doubted the specific identity of the two forms. 

 Mr. Butler recalled the fact that on the same plant of golden 

 rod {Solidayo virgaurea), larva? of Mamestra Persicariae might 

 often be found of three or four diff'erent colours. Mr. Henry 

 Moore had once found larvae of Enpithecia virgaureata 

 feeding on the petals of a crimson dahlia, and they assumed 

 a crimson hue, in lieu of the ordinary ochreous with sepia- 

 coloured markings. 



