REPOKTS. 



263 



Report of the Entomological Section, 1911. 



The year 1911 has not presented much that is new to the 

 Society concerning Entomology. This is not altogether 

 surprising. First, because as the years go by, it is evident 

 that there must be fewer discoveries to make ; secondly, 

 because as the Island becomes more covered with buildings 

 and glass, we have a far smaller and less prolific area to deal 

 with ; and, thirdly, unfortunately there are at present very 

 few persons among us interested in Entomology who may be 

 relied upon to record their observations. The first white 

 butterfly that came under my notice was on March 22, Pieris 

 Rapoe, a late date. On May 15 I took a full fed larva of 

 Axglia putris, at Icart, which emerged on May 28th. This 

 insect is reputed to pass the winter in the chrysalis stage and 

 the moth to emerge in June or July. The above, therefore, 

 seems to be an abnormal occurrence. This year we are able 

 to congratulate ourselves on the return of that rare immigrant, 

 blue Lampides baeticus, the Pea-pod Argus. I first saw it on 

 August 11th flying round Colutea arborescens in my garden. 

 On being captured it proved to be a battered female and was 

 instantly liberated, but it suggested the promise of a late 

 autumn brood fed up in the Island. And this hope was 

 fulfilled. On September 5th there were six specimens flying 

 in the garden, and after that the species became abundant 

 both with me and in the Candie Grounds until the end of 

 September. I was successful in obtaining a good supply of 

 eggs from caged females. These hatched, but all the larva? 

 were lost through neglect owing to my being much engaged at 

 the time over other matters. This was the more to be 

 regretted as Mr. N. C. Rothschild and his assistants of the 

 Thring Museum were eagerly awaiting the opportunity of 

 observing the early stages of this insect for publication. 



On August 16th 1 took an extremely small and perfect 

 female specimen of Pieris Napi, measuring only 28 mm. in 

 wing expanse. The capture at Staffa, near Zurich, of a 

 number of similar dwarf specimens of this insect is the 

 subject of an interesting note by Mr. P. Muschamp (Entom. 

 Record, p. 273, of this year). He proposed the name minima 

 for this aberration, but it appears that the Belgian entomo- 

 logist, Mons. L. Lambillion, had already given the name 

 napella to those examples of P. napi measuring 28 mm. in 

 expanse in his Catalogue of the Butterflies of Belgium, 1 903. 



But perhaps the most interesting entomological event of 

 1911 was the finding of a larva of Acronycta aceris close to 

 S, Stephen's Church by the Rev. C. B. Lucas. This insect 



