THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



19 



an assortment at an almost nominal price. The sale of the egg was not 

 without its due share of exitement. Mr. Stevens mentioned that the bird is 

 now rapidly becoming extinct, whilst only 66 specimens of the egg exist, of 

 of which 25 are in museums, the remainder in nineteen private collections. 

 The biddings commenced at £50 and advanced rather languidly at first, but 

 there were at least half-a-dozen bids at once when double that price was 

 reached. At £120 the hammer seemed about to fall, when hurriedly along 

 the passage leading to the auction room sounded footsteps, whilst a voice 

 called out to stop an instant for an intending purchaser. Not too late he 

 came, but although unsuccessful, the price was by this arrival advanced 

 another £40, the specimen finally being knocked down amidst much applause 

 for £168. 



We may mention that the egg, which is undoubtedly genuine, is of small 

 size and very slightly cracked, whilst it is somewhat discoloured, and the 

 markings upon it very faint in comparison to some we have seen. The last 

 specimen sold by auction in 1880 brought £105 only. 



In one of the collections that were next submitted was an example of 

 P. podalirius, said to have been formerly in Mr. Curtis's cabinet, and the 

 only genuine British specimen : it did not, however, find favour with the 

 company, and was withdrawn without an offer. 



The Diurni and Geometrina of Mr. Blackall, of Folkestone, although not 

 numerous attracted much attention, being nearly all bred specimens of un- 

 usual size. Of these, the examples of cardamines, sinapis, pMeas, and iris, 

 were very fine. Two varieties (one very much obscured in its markings) of 

 M. albicillata brought £3; whilst a bred series of A. prunaria, 70 in num- 

 ber showed that with careful treatment insects need not deteriorate in size 

 when interbred, the third consecutive year's specimens being much larger 

 than the first, some of the males having an expanse of two inches, and the 

 females two inches and a quarter, a size we have never known exceeded and 

 but very seldom equalled. The collection had not many varieties in it beyond 

 those mentioned, a yellow-tinted helice, suffused glabraria and biuudularia, 

 being the most prominent. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



The New Butterflies. — During the past year there have been no records 

 of the capture of Auosia plexippus, either in this country or on the continent. 

 It may be assumed, therefore, that either all that reached our shores were cap- 

 tured, or that they failed to find a suitable food-plant on which to deposit 



