PHRYXUS LIVORNICA. 161 



e.g., 1882, 1892, the autumnal brood occurs in great numbers (Hor- 

 muzaki); exceedingly abundant in Roumania from 1889-1892, but 

 not seen in 1893 (Caradja). It was also reported as especially common 

 at Collo in 1874 (Seriziatj. In Britain the years of abundance have 

 been 1846, i860, 1868, 1870. 



Time of appearance. — It is difficult to state exactly the 

 number of broods that this species has in those countries in which 

 it is sedentary, but the fact that pupae obtained here in autumn 

 emerge in a few weeks or die, suggests a continuously-brooded 

 habit in the parents, Rossler also observes (Die Schuppenfliigler, 

 no. 119) that the species is not indigenous in Germany, that it 

 occurs occasionally in abundance and produces larvae and pupae, 

 but that the winter always destroys the latter. It abounds in February 

 and March in some years at Tangier and Morocco (Blackmore), again 

 from June 15th — July 15th at Collo (Seriziat),and Gouley records breed- 

 ing an imago on October 3rd, 1866, from a July larva at Calvados. It 

 is remarkable that, in Britain, in 1858, i860, 1862, 1867, 1879, i&&&, 

 1892, and 1893, only spring and very early summer specimens occurred, 

 without giving rise to an autumnal brood, whilst, in 1865, only an 

 autumnal appearance is recorded; this also was the case in 1868, with 

 the exception of a single early capture. In 1870, the normal spring 

 appearance was followed by a normal autumnal one, and several larvae 

 were obtained, and we are thus convinced that, in Britain, the immigrat- 

 ing May and June imagines may produce another brood in August- 

 September (or even later). Walker notes it as occurring in August at 

 Gibraltar, whilst our dates give considerable evidence that late-feeding 

 larvae that pupate and are satisfactorily protected must emerge 

 after a short pupal period *, and we would call especial attention 

 to the facts that Blaker records (Ent. Wk. Int., ix., p. 146) 

 one caught in a chalk-pit, near Lewes, on January 28th, 1861 ; Burt 

 writes (loc. cit., p. 155) of one captured February 2nd, 1861, at Torquay; 

 whilst Helps notes (Proc. Sth. Lo7id. Ent. Soc, 1887, pp. 23, 53) one 

 that flew into a cottage, possibly attracted by light, at Coles 

 Cross, near Crewkerne, at the commencement of February, 1887 f. 

 The species was captured April 24th, 1902, at Aranci Bay in 

 Sardinia, May 1st, 1901, at Patras, and May 7th, 190 1, at Malta 

 (Fletcher) ; in Syria, the larvae are to be obtained in May, the 

 imagines appearing in from 5-6 weeks (Lederer), and we surmise 



* We have no doubt that Morris' record (Ent., v., p. 96) that he " bred two ima- 

 gines on July 18th, 1867, from larvae obtained near Wolverhampton on Populus alba 

 the previous year, the pupae having gone over with those of Amorpha popiiU" &c, 

 is quite erroneous. The remark of the Editors of the Ent. Mo. Mag., 1870 (vol. vii., 

 p. 40), to the effect that all spring specimens caught here have hybernated, is very 

 peculiar, as there is not a shred of evidence that this species hybernates in the 

 imaginal state in this or any other country. 



f It is remarkable that, in spite of all the captures recorded in May, i860, there 

 was no autumnal record, although one suspects that there must have been such, and that 

 these two early 1861 emergences were the progeny of autumnal parents. At any rate, 

 it would appear that these must be either the result of the May- June, i860, examples, 

 from larvae that had taken a long time to feed up. or of an unrecorded autumnal i860 

 brood, or an abortive winter immigration which is scarcely probable. It is further 

 to be noted that these were the only 1861 records. It is still more remarkable that the 

 Coles Cross example was captured, in 1887, after the species had been unrecorded in 

 Britain lor 2 yeais, and was, similarly, the only record of the year. On the whole, 

 the evidence tends to suggest that, except in such a year as 1870, most of the captures, 

 spring and autumnal, are actual immigrants and not home-bred from immigrating parents. 



