Insects. 113 



names already appear in our pages, will favour us with opinions on the subject of pub- 

 lishing general lists. To Mr. Edleston our best thanks are due for the trouble he has 

 taken in preparing the admirable list now before us. — Ed."] 



Note on the occurrence of certain Butterjlles near Dover. As ano- 

 ther instance of the mildness of the earlier part of the present winter, 

 or, if you will, of the climate in that neighbourhood, I may remark that 

 on the 15th of December last I saw Vanessa Urticae within a mile of 

 Dover, flying about as gay and brisk as if it had been Midsummer, 

 instead of almost mid-winter ; so much so indeed, that an active youth 

 who was with me, was unable to capture the specimen, although he 

 pursued it with that intention for a considerable distance. 



Now that I am on the subject of butterflies, I must tell you that Mr. 

 Le Plastrier of Dover, captured last summer, in that vicinity, two pairs 

 of the rare Pieris (Pontia or Mancipium or whatever its right name is) 

 Daplidice, or Bath white. One of these fortunately laid some eggs 

 after it was captured ; and from these Mr. Le Plastrier reared the ca- 

 terpillars, which he fed on the wild mignonette (Reseda lutea), and at 

 the present time he has four of them in the chrysalis state. The chry- 

 salis, to my eye at least, a good deal resembles that of some of the Va 

 nessae, were it not that, unlike them, it is fastened by a thread round 

 the middle. At what time will the butterflies come forth ? I expect in 

 May. Mr. Le Plastrier's specimens were taken, I think, the end of 

 July or early in August, and if so, it should seem there must be two 

 broods in the season. The same intelligent collector captured like- 

 wise, last summer, many specimens (five or six pairs or more) of Colias 

 Hyale near Dover. The summer of 1842 was one of the finest we 

 have had for many years, and therefore favourable to the production 

 of insects, as we may conclude ; but what strikes me as strange, is, 

 that the same season which produced C. Hyale in more than usual 

 abundance, should not have been equally productive of the allied 

 species, C. Edusa. Mr. Le Plastrier informs me that they " had no 

 clouded yellows last summer about Dover;" where, in certain seasons 

 (as for instance, in 1831) I know they are to be seen in considerable 

 plenty. How much in the dark are we about the periodical appear- 

 ance of insects ! And how is our reason baffled in attempting to ac- 

 count for the phenomena ! If any of the above notes are thought at 

 all worth a place in ' The Zoologist,' pray make what use of them you 

 like. — W. T. Bree ; Allesley Rectory, near Coventry, Feb. 8, 1843. 



Note on a Glass Bee-hive of a singular construction. The extracts 

 from Mr. Cotton's most amusing * Bee-Book' (Zool. 22), reminded me 

 of a glass hive which a friend of mine in Dorsetshire had many years 



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