Seasonal Notes 



507 



its smaller antennae. There are other points of distinction 

 which may be observed. It is said that field spiders are 

 deceived by this fly. When one is caught in a web the 

 spider acts as it does with a humble bee, enveloping it in a 

 web before coming to close quarters to inflict a bite. The 

 larvae of the Eristalis are known as rat-tailed maggots, being 

 provided with a long tail-like appendage. They may be 

 found in ditches in summer. 



For the following notes on Entomology in March we are 

 indebted to Mr. Oldaker, the Hon. Secretary to the Haslemere 

 Natural History Society : — 



On any warm and bright day in March we may expect to 

 see several species of butterfly on the wing. Most of these 

 have passed the winter in the imago stage, such as the 

 Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), and the two Tortoiseshells 

 (Vanessa poly chloros and V. uvticce). It is well worthwhile to 

 follow the females and to observe them ovipositing, the first- 

 named on the Buckthorn, and the small Tortoiseshell on the 

 Stinging-nettle, for the eggs of Lepidoptera are very beautiful 

 when seen under the microscope, and the attention of many of 

 our prominent entomologists is being devoted to this subject 

 at the present time. 



Any one who breeds Lepidoptera from the egg is often 

 confronted with a difficulty at this time of the year, for the 

 larvae of many species, whose eggs are deposited in the 

 autumn, have an unfortunate habit of emerging before their 

 food plant is ready, and a diligent search has to be made for 

 a bud or shoot more advanced than the rest. A notable 

 instance is that of the Orange Sallow Moth (Xanthia citrago), 

 which feeds on Lime, and when the larvae come out about 

 the middle of March, the buds of the Lime are in a sticky 

 condition, with no trace of green, except deep inside the 

 heart. 



The same difficulty is often experienced with some species 

 which spend the winter in the larval state. They take 



