488 BRITISH LEPIDOfTERA. 



on heather in the Hawick district pupating the third week in May. Frey 

 observes that the variety feeds in the Upper Engadine on Alnus viridis, 

 and sometimes emerges after remaining in the pupal stage for several 

 years. Webb has examples from the Bond coll., which Weaver obtained 

 at Eannoch, of undoubted var. ariae. Zetterstedt bred one December 

 10th, 1832. 



/3. ab.freyeri, n. &b. = ariae, Fit., " Neu. Beit.," vi., p. 14, pi. 488(1846) (nee 

 ariae, Hb.). — Hiibner has clone right in separating this as a distinct species from era- 

 taegi, both its size and its habitat — the highest Alps — help to indicate this. I, myself, 

 have had the opportunity to breed the larva, which occurs only on a species of Salix 

 which is confined to the higher Alps. Like that of crataegi, it is a variable larva, 

 but always larger. The varieties are three in number : first, black-brown, with orange 

 girdles or incisions, reminding one of a half-grown B. rubi ; second, likewise with 

 yellow incisions, but also with golden yellow lateral spots ; third, brown, with yellow 

 incisions and blue spots seated on a white ground. They were full-grown from 

 middle of July to beginning of August. They ate little, and were difficult to breed 

 except in their native heights. All attempts to feed them on the other food-plants 

 of crataegi failed, except only that they occasionally ate a little blackthorn. From 

 twenty larvaa four males and three females were bred, which latter were immediately 

 recognised as Hubner's ariae. The imago appears partly in mid-October, partly 

 not till June of the following year. The a differs from crataegi in its bright white- 

 grey ground colour, and both sexes by their larger size (Freyer). 



Pfaffenzeller very reasonably calls attention (Stett. Ent. Zeit., xxi., 

 p. 126) to this description by Freyer, and states that, if Freyer's state- 

 ment " that ariae differs principally from crataegi in the clear white- 

 grey ground colour of the male " be correct, then the moths that he 

 had himself bred from the Upper Engadine, 5000ft. -8000ft. elevation, 

 being black and directly opposite in appearance to those of Freyer, 

 could not be var. ariae, but would, necessarily, form a special and dis- 

 tinct alpine variety, which might retain the name arbusculae, that he 

 had at first applied to it. He had no doubt from the description of 

 Freyer's larvae that the latter's ariae and his own arbusculae were 

 varieties of crataegi, the larvas agreeing. Pfaffenzeller 's specimens 

 were, of course, the true ariae, and Freyer's evidently a local form of 

 it of pale coloration in the males. The latter came from the Keinthal 

 or Schluckenalpe, near Keutte, in the Tyrol, where one would almost 

 expect pale forms as a result of natural selection. 



Egglaying. — The eggs are laid, usually the day after the female 

 has paired, on the bark or on a twig of Crataegus oocyacantha, Prunus 

 spinosa, or other of its food-plants. They are glued firmly to the twig 

 by the long side, in contact with each other, so as to form a ribbon, 

 eight to ten in number, with the long axes parallel, all the micropyles 

 pointing in the same direction. In one batch under observation one 

 row of eggs was laid so as to overlap, partially, a second row. The 

 eggs are covered with coarse, dark grey, silky hairs from the abdomen 

 of the female. The silk fibres are firmly attached to the upper surface 

 of the egg, crossing each one obliquely in the same direction ; a 

 quantity of loose fibres is also scattered about. The number of eggs 

 deposited varies from 100 to 220. The eggs normally do not hatch 

 until the spring — towards the end of March and on through April — 

 April 6th-7th 1867, March 24th, and onwards, 1874 ; April 14th- 

 25th, 1878, April 22nd-May 16th, 1879, April 2nd, 1886, April 22nd, 

 1889, April 11th and following days, 1890, April 3rd, 1891, to end of 

 month, April 8th and following days, 1896. Doubleday and others 

 observe that the eggs of the same batch do not all hatch at once, a 

 few of the larva? generally appearing daily for two or three weeks. 



