48 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[March 



June and July are certainly the best months, and should I visit the 

 Reay country again on an entomological expgdition, I shall certainly 

 go in the middle of summer. This great county is almost unknown 

 to entomologists, and should any of my brother disciples of the net 

 venture to visit it next season, I can safely promise them "good sport," 

 grand scenery, and a hearty welcome from the kind people of this 

 romantic country. — John Mackay, Glasgow, 7th January, 1891. 



A COMPLETE Life History. — The following sketch for a complete 

 life history of a lepidopteron may be not uninteresting. The ordinary 

 type of collections have a series of male and female, with a few under- 

 sides, a more or less number of varieties, and a few larvae or pupae 

 accidentally picked up, x\lthough it may be impossible for many of 

 us to carry out the idea with a complete collection, yet I throw out 

 the suggestion to those whose opportunities are limited, as a means of 

 keeping touch with ther favourite amusement, of affording them end- 

 less interest, and at the same time their work must, of necessity, be of 

 much scientific value : — 



1. Typical male, upper side. 



2. ,, under ,, 



3. female, upper ,, 



4. ,, under ,, 



5. Male at rest ) On one food plant, or on any speciaj 



6. Female ) attraction affected by it. 



7. \^arieties — Darker j 



Lighter ' Or grouped with regard to geographical 

 Size , distribution. 

 Shape 



8. 

 9- 



Abnormal — i.e.. hermaphrodite. 

 Ova, on one food plant, as deposited. 

 Parasites on ova, if any. 



Hymenopterous. Cocoons. 



Imagines 

 Dipterous. Coccoons. 



Imagines 



male, 

 female. 



ic. 



male, 

 female. 



Larva, on another food plant, to shew the method of de- 

 struction special to the species. 



