RUMICIA PHL^EAS. 339 



brighter, clearer form, with the dark marking increased, but not 

 suffused. Pickett's captured specimens from Dover present no extreme 

 form, but demonstrate clearly that English R. phlaeas varies in the 

 intensity of the copper, and varies a considerable way towards the 

 darkening that constitutes eleus, both by increase and by suffusion of black, 

 whilst I believe that many English collections contain fully-developed 

 eleus. One of this year's (Dover, August) specimens is sufiusa, well on 

 towards eleus, so that, even in a year (1903) like the present, examples 

 succeed in finding warm places in which to pupate. A Dover specimen of 

 August, 1902, is nearly as dark, as well as two or three May specimens 

 from Clandon. They have all been obviously selected as nice specimens 

 and represent rather the well-marked and rich-coloured examples, 

 and do not fairly show a normal proportion of paler copper, with 

 smaller spots and narrower border. The majority are, in fact, 

 though not by a good way as far as sutfusa, yet an appreciable 

 distance on the way to being eleus. It is curious this should be 

 even more the case with the May (1902), than with the August 

 specimens (Dover, 1901, 1902, 1903). Carpenter's beautiful ex- 

 hibit of about 112 bred specimens of three several broods, from three 

 parents, showed each brood to be of tolerably uniform type and so far 

 different from the others that it might almost have been possible to 

 separate them again had they been mixed together ; yet the total differ- 

 ence was not great. All were reared in an unheated greenhouse, and 

 the uniformity of each brood may be referable to the uniform 

 conditions under which all its individuals were reared, but more 

 probably arose from an hereditary identity. The parents were not 

 exhibited with them. All were very fine bright specimens, a little 

 more darkly marked, perhaps, than an average of English captured 

 examples. Specimens emerging in July, 1896, from an Abbott's Wood 

 parent, were well spotted, and some, emerging July 15th-21st, slightly 

 suffused. Those of June, 1897, from Folkestone parents, were paler 

 with smaller spots (cooler period of emergence;. From a Bude parent, 

 specimens, emerging September, 1902, were larger, brighter, and well 

 spotted. Montgomery's series had, unfortunately, nothing but memory 

 to co-relate the specimens with the facts of their education. They 

 formed a long series of about 300. They were from four $ s taken at 

 Greenford, Middlesex. The four broods were raised together. Eggs 

 laid August 5th-31st. There was considerable mortality in the larva? 

 and some of those that were smallest on September 21th were turned 

 out. The first emerged September 13th, and up to October 9th, 240 

 emerged. On October 6th, the temperature fell decidedly, especially 

 the night temperature, and remained low for two or three weeks; 60 

 emerged during, and just after, this period — October 10th-20th, 50; 

 October 23rd-28th, 9 ; and one on November 7th. Of the whole 

 number five or six are slightly suffused and with dark veins. These 

 were amongst the earliest emergences (up to the date of first emerg- 

 ence the mean maximum temperature was 71'2°F.). Amongst the mass 

 of emergences of ordinary aspect were five remarkable for their small 

 size (about 19mm.), and not very different from 20 to 25 that emerged 

 amongst the last 50 or 60, of which some were as small as 21mm., 

 these were also pale in the copper and rather weakly spotted. Apart 

 from discoverable temperature effects, some specimens were remark- 

 able for having the row of spots less in pairs than usual, but more in a 



