230 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



have any proof, not opinion, to offer nobody will be better pleased to have it 

 than myself. 



NOTE ON LIPARIS DISPAR. 



By A. E. HALL. 



On seeing the remarks upon this subject at pages 192 and 213 of volume 

 viii of the " The Young Naturalist/' I thought a few further remarks respect- 

 ing this question might prove interesting to some readers of this magazine. 



In 1885, I procured a few ova of this species from my lamented friend 

 and helper Mr. Henry Willits of this town. He seemed only loth to part 

 with them as they were all he possessed, but thinking he might never be able 

 to breed them, for he was very unwell at the time, he give them to me, at 

 the same time asking me to keep the brood up as long as I could, for they 

 were from a true British source. He told me that he had kept the brood up 

 for upwards of ten years, and he believed that they were one of the few true 

 English existing ones. He would not tell me the locality from whence he 

 derived the original specimens, but he had no reason to deceive me, and 

 those who knew him personally can vouch for his being exceptionally honest 

 with regard to importing foreign stuff, which he never did. Erom these in 

 1886 I bred some 20 males (small and light coloured) and 15 females (mark- 

 ings very indistinct) ; of the latter one was perfect, four complete cripples, 

 six with just the hind-wings crumpled up at the edges, and four with one 

 wing slightly crippled. From five of these crippled specimens I obtained ova, 

 and from these I have this year bred about a 100 perfect specimens, with 

 only one cripple (male.) Some of the females were unusually large and well 

 marked, but the greater part were almost white; about two-thirds of the 

 of the males were large and dark specimens, and the remainder light coloured 

 and rather smaller. The larvge were fed on whitethorn, it will thus be seen 

 that crippled specimens have produced a large number of perfect ones. I 

 had a few larvae from another source, but they all died, although treated in 

 the same manner as the others. 



I let several of the males and a few of the females at liberty, and I had the 

 pleasure of seeing some of the former flying, two or three times in my father's 

 grounds. When I observed them it was always about noon and in a shady 

 avenue, they have a very peculiar zig-zagging flight, and I should think 

 extremely hard to catch when on the wing. 



I am going to try and naturalize this species in a few localities around 

 here ; I trust I may be successful, but I very much doubt it. 

 Norbury, Sheffield, November, 1887. 



